


Time Means Nothing

by TIMETOLIVE



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Attempted Murder, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mind Rape, Multi, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape Aftermath, Violent Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:01:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 141,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24444769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TIMETOLIVE/pseuds/TIMETOLIVE
Summary: What if something so bad happened that everyone had to leave Sanctum? What if while one the ship, Clarke found a file that would change everything that they ever knew.The time travel fic where Raven builds a time machine, because let's be honest here. She is the only one who has the mad genius skills to do it.Can our favorite people go back and change the past? Can they do better this time and save earth while they are at it? Let's find out.
Relationships: Abby Griffin/Jake Griffin, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Eric Jackson/Nathan Miller, Monty Green/Harper McIntyre
Comments: 146
Kudos: 201





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 "Wanheda awakens"

The smell of smoke and burning flesh burns my nostrils as we walk out the door, Jackson and Murphy carrying her body. Miller and Indra carrying an unconscious Russel. Other people's blood flowing down the side of my face, but I barely notice it, nor do I care. Raven looks back at the bar, "Shouldn't we try to save them."

I just look at her for a brief moment, "No, let the bastards burn, all of them. They don't deserve to breathe the same air we do. Russell was right, I should have killed him the moment I killed Josephine. I won't make that mistake again. Tie him to a pole. He is going to know clan justice."

As soon as they tie him up I look at Indra and Miller, "Find anyone that's left. I want all the believers, any children of Gabriel, all found. Round them up and kill them all. They were all part of the problem here. When that's done, we will have the execution of Russell and Sheiheda."

Looking at Murphy and Jackson, I say, "Take her to the ship."

Raven comes over and lays her hand on my shoulder and I roughly knock it aside. "Clarke, this isn't you. You can stop all this."

"I guess you don't know me as well as you think, Raven. I am done with giving people the benefit of the doubt. I am done being easy on people."

"I will go to the ship and help them prepare her body."

"And for the love of god, someone bring me Gabriel, he gets to watch it all fall apart and see what he brought to everyone. He gets to live with it all." 

I strip Russell bare, I want to see every single cut on his body. Gaia joins me then, "Did you bring it, Gaia?"

"Yes, it is the last of the coagulant. It should give him a few more hours."

"Good, the more he suffers, the better."

"Clarke, I won't try to talk you out of this. You deserve to have justice. He took everything from all of us. He doesn't deserve mercy. When it is finished, we need to destroy the mind drive, however you want to do it. It has Sheiheda inside. We can't let him get into the Tek on the ship."

"I know, I will smash it, then I will burn it and everything in Sanctum to the ground."

All around us are the screams of the dying. I can taste the metal in the air. Smoke and blood. This place will be no more. Indra and Miller come, practically carrying Gabriel. "Clarke, you didn't have to do this." He says.

"It all started with you, Gabriel. You brought Josephine back, killing countless others to do it. You were the start of two different cults. You will now have to live the rest of your last life with the knowledge of what you have done. It will haunt you for the rest of your days. You did this and you will never forget that it all falls on your shoulders."

Indra bows her head, "It is done, Wanheda. The prisoners, the ones we woke up and all of wonkru helped. They are all ready for your orders."

I nod and look at the crowd, "We are all one people. We are people of earth. From now on we don't fight each other. These people who died today were sick. The people of Sanctum, all 978 of them were brainwashed by one man. The man standing in front of us now. There was no other cure for them, except death. The children of Gabriel would have killed us all eventually, just to restart their own society. Not one of them was ever innocent, not even one out of the 463 of them. This man here, is about to receive wamplei kom thauz kodon, or death by 1000 cuts. My decision is final. Everyone will have a chance to receive their justice, but the first and final cut on him is MINE! Mine by right. Today Russell Lightborn dies, last of the primes. Blood must have blood."

I look at Russel and say, "I don't know if I will feel better after your death. You once said you didn't think I could change, maybe you were right. Now you get to see the full wrath of Wanheda, I hope it is all you imagined. You have taken everything from me that I had left and you will feel it all. Today your evil ends, yours and Sheiheda's."

Gaia hands me the coagulant, opening his mouth I roughly force him to swallow it all. I grab my dagger, it was once Lexa's and then Madi's. "You see this. I think it only fitting that it is the one that you used to slowly drain the blood out of her. I am also a healer, I know just how to make this last for days if need be. You just swallowed coagulant, it will thicken your blood, making sure you don't bleed out too quickly. Before we are finished with you, you will have begged for death a 100xs over."

I then use the dagger to take the tiniest of slices out of his chest. Turning back to the crowd I say, "That is how it is done. When we are finished I want to see behind his bones. Flay him first. I want to see his muscles before we see his bones."

I hand Gaia the knife, "She was just a child. She didn't deserve what you did to her."

I look up and see the line of people, waiting to take their justice. Most of them are wonkru, but there are some prisoners joining in as well. I see Octavia, Dioza, and Echo all together. So much was lost today. Hope, Bellamy, Jordan, and so many others. 

As soon as the last person in line makes their cut, I walk over. He is hanging by a thread. I pull his head up and he opens his eyes gasping, "Just kill me now."

I take my dagger back from Gaia and slit his throat. Black blood splattering my face and neck. " You will never harm another in this lifetime. Yu gonplei ste odon."

I cut his neck, pulling out the mind drive, I then crush it in my hands, black blood dripping down my arm. I look at the crowd, "This place is cursed. We will find a new one, burn it all to the ground and meet back at the ship. 

Gaia follows me as we head to the house. She has been a good friend through everything. We walk into the house, walking upstairs to Madi's room, "This was supposed to be her home, a place where she would grow up as a child."

I slam the mind drive on the dresser, probably breaking all the little bones in my hand, but I don't care. Downstairs, we grab every bottle of alcohol there is, smashing them against the walls in every room, we walk out. Indra joins us, handing me a torch. I throw the torch on the house, turn around and walk back to the ship, never looking back.

Back on the ship, there is chaos. Fights breaking out and lots of yelling. I pull out my gun, shooting one shot in the air, everything stops and it is silent. "Sanctum is no more. It doesn't matter how long it takes us, but we will find a home. We will all work together, sleeping in 3 month shifts. Four people for a shift. First shift is Raven, Octavia, Gaia, and Echo. I will stay awake during all shifts. We will find a home. Raven and Octavia help everyone sleep."

As they leave taking everyone with them, I stand by the window, watching the fires burn on the ground. Gaia grabs my hand, "Clarke, you can't stay awake, the people will be looking at you for guidance. Take some time this shift and just think about it."

I look at her, "Gaia, I know you mean well, but this is how it should be. I am responsible for close to 2500 deaths on Sanctum and on earth. I couldn't even keep the two people alive that meant the most to me. I have nothing left for the people. I am through talking about this."

"I will leave you to it then. Though, soon we need to lay her to rest."

"I want one ceremony for all of our people. They died protecting her. They will be released into Sanctum's atmosphere, it will burn their bodies, so that they can return to us in the next life."

2 months later

As I am walking to the school, to pick up Madi, I hear a commotion at the bar. Gaia runs up to me and says, "Clarke, come quick, he has Madi."

I run into the bar and I can hear her screams. Before I can make it to the back room, it is silent again. Opening the door I see her. They stripped her and tortured her, on the floor next to her body, is her head. Lexa pops in my mind, and Costia. I turn my head and see the adjusters next to Russell. Gaia draws her sword while I pull out my gun. "Leave Russell alive. Everyone else does."

After I empty my gun, I pull out a knife, walking slowly up to the last person in the room I go to slice his throat, but someone jumps in front of me and I kill them instead. Knocking the body aside I notice it was Jordan. It doesn't stop me though, I keep going. Others run in at this time. Echo sees Bellamy dead in a pool of blood next to Hope.

Gaia has Russell restrained. I yell at the others, "Get our people out of here now. Taking my gun I pistol whip him across the head. "Why, Russell. We were giving you what you wanted. Your death. You were joining your family."

"Russell is no longer with us. Madi chose the wrong path. She should have killed you and everyone in her path. Instead she was weak. Hodnes laik kwelnes."

"Sheiheda. Doesn't matter, Russell or Sheiheda, you will die really soon." Using all my anger I hit him over and over again. If Indra didn't show up I don't think I would ever stop. 

She puts a hand on my shoulder, "Not like this, Clarke. Show him and everyone else clan justice."

"Get him out of here."

I start turning lamps over, making my way out the bar, with Gaia by my side. I see Jackson carrying her body and Murphy gently carrying her head. I start screaming. I am still screaming as I wake up, gasping for air.

Raven and Octavia both run in. Pulling me into her arms Octavia says, "Shhh, Clarke. It was just a dream."

Under her breath Raven mumbles, but I can hear her, "Not surprised you have nightmares every night."

"If you have something to say Raven, spit it out. I am tired of all the crap."

"Since you really want to know. I am pissed at you. So much you have done, so many people you have saved and we can't save you. You're killing yourself, Clarke and I can't watch it anymore."

"What do either of you even care if I die or not. Isn't everything that has happened, all those deaths, all my fault. If I was not leading, so many people would be alive. The Great Wanheda, commander of death. Isn't that what everyone has always said, that when I lead, people die. So let's stop the cycle now. Kill me, I know you have both thought about it."

Raven shakes her head and says, "Clarke, let's get one thing straight, no one here thinks that. We may have said things in the heat of the moment, but you have saved us, everyone, so many times. We don't want you dead."

Octavia gets up, "I used to be so angry. I pushed you so much. I didn't know how it was for the person making all the decisions. I learned that sometimes there is no right decision. You saw everything. You always saw what would happen if we did things a certain way. We didn't always agree with your decisions, but it was because we couldn't see the bigger picture. I couldn't see it. I'm sorry. We all talk about who we have lost, but you, you have lost more than anyone. You have sacrificed so much. Still you kept fighting. Never once did you give up. Giving up isn't you."

"Octavia is right. You have never given up, until now that is. I get it. In less than a week you lost your mom and you're daughter. Don't you get it though. We lost them too, and we can't lose you as well. Please, just think about it. We will leave you in peace for now. I have to check the computer, before we wake the next shift tomorrow."

They leave the room and I just sit there thinking. They are right, I have given up. I see those that I have lost, all of them, but only two haunt me at night most of the time. Lexa died because of me and I couldn't keep Madi alive either. The two people that I would die to bring back or at least see one more time.

For the first time in weeks I head to the showers, maybe it will clear my head. When I am finished I head to the ship's deck. I need to check the computers to make sure all is ok. 

I look at the others and see they are working as well. My screen suddenly flashes blue. Dammit. A file pops up, "Just in case" What the hell is this. Just in case what. "Raven, come check this out."

"It's a file, it pops up if someone uses the computer for a certain amount of time."

"I gather that, but what is it? The screen turned blue before it showed up. For a minute I thought I broke something."

"Only one way to find out."

Raven clicks on it, "It looks like a message, from Monty."

Hearing that from across the room, Gaia and Octavia join us. Raven looks at us and says, " According to this, there were 4 ships sent through the anomaly, 1 didn't make it, 1 crash landed on Alpha or Sanctum as we call it, the 3rd we are standing on, the 4th ship landed on Beta. That was the group that Bellamy and Echo killed to save Dioza. Both places had anomaly stones. Becca figured out later that the anomaly was caused by two black holes coming together. This happened at the edge of Earth's galaxy, but it also happened in-between Alpha and Beta. After Becca didn't hear back from any of the ships, she started experiments in time travel as well as wormhole travel. She traveled to Alpha and was there for the aftermath of Russell's killing spree. She left them there, and went back to earth. She wasn't able to complete making a time machine because of the bombs. The space stations would never have made it to the anomaly. That was when she decided to come down and help by inventing black blood and the flame."

Octavia looks at Raven and says, "So what does this actually mean."

"It means that time travel is possible, as for how, I will have to look at the other files Monty left."

I put my hand on top of Raven's and say, "We need to look at his message first, before we study files."

"Ok, Clarke. It's a video message. Let's hear it."

Monty pops up on the screen, looking even older than the last time we saw him. "Hey guys, so I am guessing things didn't go well on the new planet, which is actually a moon. I know that you did everything that you could have. There is another way. About a year ago, a message from earth made it to the ship. It was a message from Becca. It took that long to make it here. She sent all her files on time travel. I am in no shape to make the machine myself. Raven can though. There are multiple issues though. The time machine itself will be easy. It will have to have fuel though. The only fuel that is capable of making a ship fly faster than the speed of light. Becca's files tell you step by step on how to harness it and refine it. The anomaly itself is the fuel and you have to fly it through the wormhole through the one that is leading back to earth."

Raven pauses the video, "This brings up what scientists say about time travel. How does one exist in the same space as a previous version of yourself? Scientists called it a time paradox. They believed that two versions of the same person couldn't exist in the same place."

I look at Raven, "Let's see what else Monty says about it."

Raven starts the message again, "Raven I know that you are thinking about paradoxes, Becca believed that other scientists were only partially correct. She believed that basically when you come into the same timeline as your previous self, your consciousness merges. The rest of your body disappears. You would however remember everything from your future self. This makes it possible to change the mistakes of the past. Now all this will take time, which you have now. I estimate about 3 years to make the time machine and refine the fuel. Becca knew this would happen at some point. In her files, there are plans for the power plants as well. She knew they would only last so long, before they failed. Study them and to find a way to stop Primfaya. Stop McCreary from blowing up the earth again. Make better choices and change the past with the information you have. People will still die, we can't stop that, but we can minimize it all. The time machine's fuel will be limited. My guess is you can make only two trips before it is depleted. Make them both count."

The screen shuts off, leaving the files. Gaia turns to me and asks, "Why would there need to be two trips, why not just one?"

"We can't do it alone. On the Ark we were just considered children. Going back it would be the same. We have to have people that are older, backing us and helping. Especially Kane and my mom, but a few others can't hurt. They would need to remember all that we went through."

"So what happens now? How do we get started?" Octavia asks.

"Now we wake everyone up. This isn't a decision for just the four of us. We need a meeting. We need to come up with ideas together. We can't have a war with McCreary again. So we have to talk to Dioza's people as well. So let's wake them up, starting with just our people and Dioza. There are things we have to discuss, or rather issues that I have. After we talk to them, we can wake everyone else."

I help the others while I think. This could mean everything. How much we change is important. We wake up Nylah, Dioza, Jackson, Echo, and Indra. Indra looks at me and asks, "Clarke, what is going on? Is there a problem?"

"Not a problem, but a solution. Raven, play the message."

Indra looks up when it is finished, "What does all this mean? How can we go back?"

Dioza looks at me with eyes full of hope, "I don't fully understand the how, but does this mean that we can change things?"

I look at her, "That's exactly what we can do. Question is, what are we willing to do to change the past? How far do we go the first time, and how far in the past do we travel the final time? How much are we willing to do to return to earth? This isn't just a let's build a time machine and hope everything is better than the last time. It will take years to build it. That isn't even the biggest obstacle. It will take even longer to plan everything out. We have to stop a war with the clans, take out Mt Weather, Allie, Pike, Jaha. Those are somewhat easy. The power plants are going to be tricky. We have a time limit with that. Floukru is the first to be hit with the radiation, we have to stop that. Then what of McCreary and his men. We can't let him destroy earth. So what is everyone here willing to do to fix everything?"

Raven says, "McCreary is easy, if worse comes to worse, Dioza can plant an emp bomb on the ship. The power plant and Mt Weather will take a few years to plan out."

Dioza says, "I can take care of McCreary and Michael Vinson. My people, my responsibility. My people, the ones that are left, want only one thing. Peace and a home. When we do come down, will the clans accept us?"

Indra says, "If we make it through everything else, I will make sure that they trust you."

I think the next thing I have to say will be hardest for everyone, but I have to say it. "Ok, the clans have one person that leads them all. Each clan has their own leader. I want it to be known, to everyone going back, that I am in charge, unless a commander is present. No questions asked and no disrespect. I will have to be harsh on people who disrespect my authority. I might even have to kill my own people. Clan code is blood must have blood. We have to respect that in the beginning. I need to know who has issues with that."

Raven and Octavia look at each other but it is Octavia that answers, "You are our leader, Clarke. I am not saying we won't ask questions, but your decisions are final. I trust you."

I look at Raven and she says, "If I have to ask any questions, I will do it in private. Clarke, you are the only leader I will follow, even if that means I also follow Lexa. After everything that has happened, I understand why she did things the way she did."

Gaia looks at me and says, "What about Titus and Sheiheda?"

"First thing, Titus will be dealt with. I won't let him harm Lexa this time. It won't happen overnight, but you will take his place as Flamekeeper. You have learned the true meaning of love, and love is never a weakness. A commander needs a flamekeeper that believes that as well. A commander should never be alone. As for Sheiheda, in the files Becca sent, there is a way to isolate a commander in the flame and destroy him, keep the flame safe and the other commanders in it."

Octavia says, "So are we really doing this?"

"Yes, we are doing this. Wake everyone else up. Everyone is required to help." I tell them.

After everyone has listened to the video, I speak up, "Listen up. We will answer all your questions in due time. Know this though, it has already been decided, we are doing this. We are going back to earth. We are going to live in peace together. We know the alternatives. There will be no war, not with the people of the Ark and the clans. There will be no war with anyone on Eligius 3. We will pave the way for you. We ask two things in return. One, you have to get rid of McCreary and his men. They will only choose war. Two, you have to help us build the machine and help make a plan for the power plants."

Someone in the back of the room calls out, "So who is supposed to be the leader of this mission?"

"I will lead it, though Indra will come to me for anything dealing with the clans. Dioza will deal with everything dealing with all members of Eligius. Everything comes through me. There will be plenty of time to go through everything. This mission will take years. Yet, time is on our side. We have to do this right. We will only get one shot at it."

Gabriel looks at me and asks, "How exactly does this affect me and all of Sanctum?"

"When we go back, so do you. I think it will be easy to make a single person time machine. You get to stop Russell from ever going mad. You get to rewrite your history as well. One life to do things the way they should have been in the first place."

"Then I will help you. I will also destroy the mind drives. It will be my own just in case."

"You are all dismissed. Tomorrow we start the time machine. We have plenty of time to talk more about it all."

I look at Raven, "Turn the ship around, and join the rest of us in my room."

Once everyone is in the room I begin, "Though I am the leader of this mission, I still need your help the most. Raven, I will need you to teach me more about Tek, radios, bombs, everything you know. Nylah, you will learn more about medicine as well as teach classes on how to live on the ground. There are so many that lack these skills. Earth skills on the Ark were taught by someone who had never been to the ground. Jackson, we know that no one was ever as good at medicine as my mom, and we will pick her up on the first trip back. Until then I want to know everything you know. Octavia, Indra, Echo, and Dioza I want you to train me. I will not come down a second time without all the skills needed from a leader. I will train others before we go down. Gaia, you will teach me clan culture. I want to know everything about the flamekeepers, the commanders, and just everything. I know the language, but I am not fluent and I will need to be."

Raven looks up, "How far back do you want to go?"

"I don't want to mess with that too much, but I was thinking about two years before we came down. I have ideas that we can go over in more detail before we go back. The 100 will be 102. We need you down there from the start. Someone will have to be in charge of camp, when I leave to make peace with Trikru. I have ideas on how to save my dad, he is also needed. Octavia, though she isn't needed like a few of the others, I want to save your mom as well. I have to think about all this and how it will work. However, going back two years gives us the time to prepare everyone and get Jaha out power. I say for now it's been a long day, we sleep on it and meet back here for breakfast. Then we dole out assignments."

I motion Gaia to stay, "I still see him in my dreams. I see them all. Do you think I went too far? I know Russell had to die, but did he have to die like that. Did everyone else have to die?"

She grabs my hand and says, "What you did was what was needed at the time. You were right, everyone there was part of the problem. Eventually, they would have killed us all."

"I told Gabriel that it would haunt him for the rest of his days, I think that is true for me as well. Killing Madi, it destroyed me. The way they did it, it brought something else out in me. The clans gave me the name Wanheda, but I never felt that side of me, until then. I don't know if I can fully turn it off."

"Clarke, you did what you had to do, but what you had to do is not who you are. None of that matters now though. It will take time, which it seems like we now have plenty of, but you will come to a place in your heart and you will be ok with it. Besides, when we go back it will have never happened."

"I hope you are right. Go, get some rest. We have plenty of work to do."


	2. Chapter 2 "Total Recall"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke has some heart to heart talks with Raven and Bellamy. Clarke asks herself do we wait or do we go back where we have more help. Let's see what happens.

Chapter 2 "Total Recall"

6 months later

I wake up in a cold sweat, gasping. The dreams aren't getting any better, but at least I have stopped waking up screaming. I walk to the bathroom, sliding my clothes off on the way. It isn't long before the hot water is flowing down my body, washing away the last remnants of my dreams.

I make my way to the control room, where Raven and Gabriel are hard at work already. It's almost like they don't ever stop. With Raven's music blaring I stare at the computer screen, looking at plans for Mt Weather. I want to know everything about it, how their systems work, back doors into their computer system, everything. 

Raven and Gabriel make their way over to me. "Raven,how is everything going with the ship?" I ask.

"Most of the people from Eliguis seem to know what they are doing. It is way ahead of schedule. We should be finished in about another month. Gabriel has come up with an idea to harness the fuel in a more efficient way. It should speed that up as well."

Gabriel looks at me and says, "We wait till the Red Sun Rises. The anomaly is at its strongest then. We will be able to harness it 10 times faster. We have finished making the tanks. Now we just have to fill them. Refining everything won't take more than a few days. We could successfully be ready to travel a few days after the ships are ready."

"That brings up one question. How do we protect ourselves from the gasses that emit from the plants? No one is safe from those when out in the open." I ask.

I look at Raven and I can see the wheels in her spinning as she thinks. She glances at her tablet and says, "It's simple really, we use the suits. We will need four of them." 

"Ok, the sun rises in three days. Get it done. Though just because we finish the ships doesn't mean we are leaving right away. It just means we have more time to plan everything else." I tell them. 

Gabriel looks at us and says, "I will go check on the ship builders. It seems like you two need to talk."

He walks out the room and Raven starts talking, "Clarke, I don't see why we can't go back. If we are going back two years from the beginning, why wait? We will have plenty of time."

"There is so much to do when we go back, Raven. Plans are great, but they don't last long in battle. I want backup plans and I want even more back up plans for the backup plans. When we go back you won't have those plans to fall back on. We might find plans for the Mt and the power plants, on the Ark, but they will be incomplete."

"Seems like you have it all planned out. Care to share with the class?" She asks. 

"I think that I have Mt Weather figured out. I will need your help for those plans. The power plants need to be located quite quickly after that. We have to find a way to shut them down. Allie I am not too worried about. We know how to shut her down." 

I look at the computer for a second before continuing, "Before we go back I want you to be able to make cryo pods. You will be making those on the Ark and so many other things. The Ark will have what is needed for that, but earth will not. You and others need to study so much. Gabriel can't go back until we do. The two of you bounce ideas around well together."

"I just want things to go faster, that way we can finally do better." Raven says.

"You want to go back and see people that are no longer with us. Believe me, I want to see them too. Which brings up the question. Who do you want to see first?" I ask her.

"I don't think that I can decide, there are so many. Abby, Marcus and Sinclair are right at the top of my list." She says.

I look at her for a moment, before replying, "Those are definitely good ones. Knowing it will be awhile before I see Lexa or Madi, I want to see my dad. Though I would have thought you would say Finn."

"I have had plenty of time to think about him. When you saved us during Primfaya, up in space I had a lot of time to think about it. I thought I loved him, but in truth, I didn't know him as well as I thought I did. He saved my life, in more ways than one. I would have died of starvation, if he hadn't shared his rations with me, when we were kids."

"So what was your conclusion about him?"

"I never told anyone this but, he wasn't the spacewalker, I was. He took the blame because I was 18 and he wasn't. I still love him for those things. I talked to Bellamy about it, many times. He told me the first day on the ground he flirted with both you and Octavia. I could have understood it if he had waited months even, thinking he would never see me again, but he couldn't even wait ten days. I deserve better than that. That isn't love. I am glad we are going back two years. This way we will be just friends and not lovers. I deserve someone so much better."

I grab her hand and ask, "I hate to ask but, if things don't go as planned, and he goes crazy again, you know what will have to happen. How are you, knowing that if that happens, I will have to kill him again, or let Trikru have him?"

"It will have to be done, I will mourn again. I don't believe it will tear me up like it did though. What about you? How will it affect you? Did you ever love him?" Raven says, as she squeezes my hand.

"I told you once, I hardly knew him. I cared for him, but I didn't love him. Going back I won't be with him either. He lied to me, by omission, but it was still a lie. He always skirted around any talk of loved ones. He was my first, first everything. I think that hurt the most. He won't be my first anything this time."

I take a deep breath and continue, "On that note, I feel every death, deeply. It will hurt, every death does, even those that aren't our people. I can live with it though, if most everything else falls into place."

Raven let's go of my hand and says, "I'm going to join Gabriel, see you for the meeting in a few hours."

"I am glad, I will see you later, keep me posted. I want to go over my plans for Mt Weather, later."

There are many tunnels leading into Mt Weather. Some of them are hard to get to, but they look like there is no way to have cameras in those tunnels. One of them has to be the one that Emerson used to destroy the Mt. I finally leave the room and head to the dining hall.

As I step in the room I notice everyone working. Nylah walks up to me, "Clarke, I have been thinking."

"Thinking about what?" I ask.

" I know we are going to change things. I don't think that Bellamy is going to attack Trikru, but what are we going to do about Pike?" She asks. 

"I am not sure yet. I have plans to make sure he doesn't become chancellor, but other than that I haven't decided yet. Farm station will need him when we come down. Azgeda will follow their queen. Nia will find a way to start a war with us, no matter what. She will be sneaky about it. That is where Echo will come in, though until we take Nia out, we can't let anyone know she is on our side. We have to make Roan prince again."

"So how does that stop Pike from attacking"

"I know you are worried about your father. I will kill Pike myself before he becomes an issue. I am just not sure when or how yet. Your father will be protected, as will you." I tell her.

"It took a long time for me to forgive Bellamy and Skaikru for the massacre, but I trust most of Skaikru again. Most importantly I trust you. I always have."

Nylah puts her hand on my shoulder and squeezes. I gently remove it, and say, "Look Nylah, what we once had, has passed. We are friends, and no more. Maybe if we weren't going back, it might be different. You know where my heart lies and it always will. You deserve someone that loves you with all their heart. As for me, I will wait till I can have that again. You should as well."

"You're right, Clarke. I just thought that, maybe, but I do deserve someone that loves me, the way you still love Lexa. I just don't know if that will ever happen."

"It will, I promise. Now we need to have a meeting with all the clans. I have figured out how to take Mt Weather, without everyone dying." 

It doesn't take long for the others to arrive, Nylah goes to stand with the others and I call Raven over. 

"Clarke, what's up? I thought we went through everything earlier."

"You got me thinking about some things. I have a few questions. You said the others have the time machine pretty much covered. So, if we check on their progress daily, how long do you think it will take you, with help, to figure out the cryo pods?" I ask her. 

"Not long, they seem pretty basic, so maybe a few days." She answers.

"Ok Raven, what about the plans for the power plants?"

"Those will take a bit longer. I have to map out where they are. That was the last message Becca sent, we are lucky she sent it after the bombs. It helps me to determine which ones will fail. I have briefly looked at the files. There are ten of them. It looks like they were made by two different companies, so their specs will be slightly different. I think with Gabriel's help, it will take a couple of weeks, maybe three at the most. Why?" She asks.

"Monty was correct in his projections, but he thought that you would be working pretty much alone. He didn't know about Gabriel or that he was almost as smart as you are. I want to try and go back as soon as the ship is done. We might not make that window, but I want to try. You were right, we will still have two years to train everyone and make plans. I want to go home, sooner rather than later." I tell her.

"I will see what I can do. I am with you on this. Also, on the Ark, we will have even more help. Your dad, Sinclair, Wick, and many others." She says.

"You tell me, the help you will need and I will make sure you get it, but don't kill yourself doing everything. You need proper rest. We will get there, even if it takes a bit longer." I tell her. 

With that out of the way, I glance at everyone briefly and say, "I have been talking to Raven. Everyone has been working so hard. In a few days Raven and Gabriel will refine the fuel for the ship. The ship itself will be finished in about a month. In that time, Raven will be going over plans for things we need when we go back."

Indra looks at me and asks, "So what does all that mean?"

"That means that we will head back to earth in about a month." Turning to Diyosa, I ask, "Diyosa, who woke up on the ship, when you first came back?"

"I woke up first, then I woke up Shaw, McCreary and a few others. Why?" She says.

Turning back to the others I say, "When we go back to that time, everyone here will be our younger selves. Gabriel will be the only one manning our ship. It will take about six days for him to reach us. It is good that Diyosa wakes up first, she won't be waking everyone. She will keep McCreary and his men asleep, that includes Vincent. We will wake her people only. Raven and crew will head over right away and help her. They will stay to keep the ship safe. I will meet you at the bunker. We will transport them to Madi's village. There we will stay a few days to get everyone caught up on how things are going to happen."

Octavia asks, "Why are we rushing things? I thought we would go over plans longer."

"We all miss our people, those that we have lost. The things we need to know before going back will be safe in our heads. Most of the Tek will have to be done by Skaikru. That means we need to work with our engineers and mechanics. The first trip is to make sure that we have enough people who remember everything. We will have two years to be prepared. When we come down again, Indra can meet us, maybe at the river, to finalize how things are going to happen with Trikru. I refuse to be in another war with them." I tell them.

Miller looks at me and says, "So when do you want to leave?"

"I am thinking six weeks from now. That should give Raven and Gabriel plenty of time for final checks on the ship. We can do this. Let's go see our people. Go get some rest. Tomorrow we work on finishing this." I tell them.

With that I leave them. Sitting on my bed I pull out my journal. I flip through the pages. It has pictures of everyone, but mostly Madi and Lexa. I lay my head down, staring at one page with the two of them. As the tears flow down my face I say, "I am coming for you both. Things will be different this time. I promise."

6 weeks later

I sit in the seat next to Raven, I ask her, "Are you ready?"

"I thought you had something to say to everyone first, Clarke." Raven asks me.

"Everyone worked hard to get us here, but without your brain, we wouldn't be able to do this. You have this honor. Coms are yours this trip." I say smiling at her.

Raven speaks into the mic, so that all can hear, "Ok people, we are ready. We have all worked hard to get us here. This couldn't have been done without everyone working together. Remember that, when we go back, we will need it. Today we take the first phase of our trip home. Stay buckled, it will be a bumpy ride."

Raven flies the ship towards the anomaly. "Ok, hang on."

Right before we hit the anomaly Raven starts her accent. The wormhole is right in front of us, we have to enter at a 90° angle or we will implode. Soon as we enter the whole ship starts shaking. The shields should hold it together though. She hits a button and we are now going five times the speed of light. As, soon as she pulls out of the wormhole, I pass out.

I hear someone screaming my name as I wake up. I slowly sit up, open my eyes and see her. I pull her into my arms like I am never going to let her go. "Madi, I missed you so much."

"Clarke, what's going on, you saw me ten minutes ago. I got the water and came back. You were on the ground. Are you ok? Why are you crying, did you get hurt?" Madi asks me. 

"Oh Madi, there is so much to tell you, but that will have to wait. I need the radio, first." I tell her. 

"Didn't you try to contact Bellamy and the others earlier today? As usual they didn't respond."

Before we make it to the radio, Raven starts speaking, "The ring to Clarke. Clarke, are you there?"

"We are here Raven, you're so brilliant." I say while smiling. 

"We have already established that I am a genius, but this was all Becca's idea. How is our girl?" She asks.

"Madi is wonderful. However, there is no time to chat. You need to head over to Eliguis. Help Diyosa, wake everyone up that is needed. Oh, and Raven, test out the gas and let me know how it goes. I will keep the radio close. Madi and I will take the Rover to the bunker in the morning. Be sure to contact me before then."

"Copy that, Clarke. Soon you will see your mom."

"A couple of days. I can wait. I have plenty to catch Madi up on. Talk to you soon."

I look over at Madi, I can see the shock on her face. "Tell me now, Clarke. What is going on?" She asks me.

I take my time forming my words, "It started with another war, people came down from space, but they were not our people then."

I don't go into detail about what happened, including what happened on Sanctum with her, but I see in her eyes that she understands. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Clarke. So you just built a time machine and came back for me?"

"Madi, I wasn't the person that gave birth to you, but make no mistake, I love you and you are my daughter. When given a way, I will always come for you. However, I didn't build the time machine, Raven did."

"So what do we do now?" She asks. 

"Tonight we eat and go to sleep. In the morning, we head to the bunker, where we will meet friends that will get our people out of the bunker. Then we come here and make plans for all of us to go further back in time and do better than we did in the past."

"I have one other question. Earlier you were talking to Raven and mentioned gas. What are you making her do with the gas?"

I didn't want to go into this, but Madi has been the commander, I will be honest with her. "The ship up there has enemies. There are over 800 people up there and only 600 or so are our friends. The other 200 will want a war. The last time we had a war with them, we lost over 400 from the bunker and they lost a little over 600 people. We need to see if the gas will kill the 200 in their sleep, where we don't lose anyone and they die a painless death. We are back to do better. Doing better doesn't mean that we won't have to kill some people. It means that we will try not to kill unless needed."

"So I was the commander? When we go back will I remember you?"

"Ok, I will answer these last two questions, then food and bed. Yes you were commander, you even led the warriors to defeat the prisoners from Eliguis. Until one of them destroyed the earth and we had to leave or die. You were a good commander, though I don't want you to be again. I wouldn't want that for anyone, until we can make true peace. You told me you remember your mom. You will remember me and everyone you meet in the next few days."

3 days later

Diyosa is drilling into the bunker, I already have a harness on, along with Bellamy. He will be first to go in. For him it's been six years since he saw Octavia. Bellamy died trying to save Madi in Sanctum. 

I look at him in the eyes and say, "Bellamy, I know that we have both changed in many ways, I have long since forgiven you for the massacre and other things, but make no mistake, if you do anything to sabotage this mission, I will kill you myself." 

"Clarke, all I want is for all of us to live in peace. Eventually, maybe a little farm with Echo. I had so much time to think, while on the ring. I will not make the same mistakes this time. Though they will still be with me forever." He says.

"I get it. We both made mistakes. Those mistakes will haunt us forever. Let's fix them. I will need you, my brother." I tell him squeezing his shoulder. 

"I will follow you, Clarke. Your leadership is the only one that will save us all. If that means I have to trust Lexa this time as well, I will. We never really gave her a chance last time." He says.

"Things will be different this time. We know what to expect, and we have allies to help us. We will do better."

I smile as they finish drilling and we both rappel down into the bunker. I almost don't make it all the way down before I am enveloped into a hug. Tears flowing down my face, I hug her back. "I missed you so much, mom."

"We thought you died until a few days ago, when Octavia called off all fights." Abby says.

"We have so much to talk about mom. First, though we have to get our people out of here. It's going to take all day to get everyone. Tomorrow we will head to mine and Madi's home."

"Who is Madi?" She asks me.

"Oh, mom. There is so much we have to talk about. Madi is my daughter. She is almost twelve. I will explain everything. I promise. We have so much to do and I don't want to wait any longer than we have to."

Just like I thought, it takes the rest of the day to bring everyone out. I look at the crowd and say, "Listen up everyone, I know some of you have questions. These questions will all be answered just not today. Now we eat and rest. Tomorrow when we get to Shallow Valley, that is the only place we will have enough water for everyone. All questions will be answered when we arrive there. For now, eat and rest. You are safe and out of the bunker."

After dinner, I start talking to mom and Marcus. "Mom, coming from the future, I know about your addiction. You beat it in the future, but we can't go back until you have done so here. There is one other thing I am concerned about."

"Clarke, I never wanted this. I was in so much pain. Then you and the others didn't return. I guess that's when it started. Octavia told me that you know about the dark year. That made it worse. Now, I have so much to live for. I will beat it." She says.

Marcus looks at me and asks, "What else is it you wanted to talk about."

"We are going back two years before we came down. I will not let dad or aunt Callie die this time. How are you going to deal with being married to other people?" I ask them.

"We talked about that last night. We both love each other, but we love Jake and Callie more. Your mom and I could have been happy together, as long as those two weren't still with us. What are you going to do about Jaha? He will still float your dad if he goes public about the Ark." Marcus says.

"Dad will go public, almost as soon as we go back. Monty and Raven will help with that. Then there will be a coup. The people will put dad in charge. That's one of the conditions I will make before we go back. Dad won't really be in charge though. He will just be the guy everyone sees. I will explain all that when we meet with the others. Now we need sleep, tomorrow will be busy."

I hug them and join Madi. I am tired but I know sleep will be hard to come. The intensity of my nightmares increased soon as I fell asleep the first night. She is almost already asleep. I kiss her forehead and say, "Sleep well, my little nightblood."

In the morning, we start loading everyone into the drop ship. It will take several trips and half the day. I load up on the first trip, Bellamy and Octavia will make sure the rest of our people make it. Soon as we make it to the valley, I show everyone to the lake. "Everyone needs to fish. We need enough for everyone for lunch and dinner. When everyone gets here we will have the meeting."

By the time the second group of people arrive, we have enough food for everyone. I send a group to bring water for the next few days, while some set up camp cook. I hear static from the radio, "Eliguis to Clarke."

"Clarke here. What's your status there, Raven?"

"All is good here. Gabriel radioed, he is a couple of days out. Says he's ready to go home. I told him soon." She replies back to me.

"Thank you. He can go back when we do. The last of our people just showed up here, so I will have to brief them. Talk to you soon." I tell her.

As soon as everyone grabs something to eat I start, "Ok people, I know Octavia has told you all a bit about what is going on. Everything she has said is true. We did come back from the future. In that future, you all died. We came back to make it right. We could stay here and have a nice life, but that isn't what we are going to do. We are going back even further. Why stay here when we can save most of our people that we left behind. To do this, we need everyone's help." 

"These people most of you don't know, are from a ship called Eligus 4. They helped make it possible for us to return. Though in our past we had a war. Many people from both sides died, just like the war with Skaikru and the clans before. We have learned from our mistakes. When we make our next trip, it will be eight years before we see them again, but we will have made a place for them on earth. It is their home as well."

"We will need everyone's help when we go back. We will have two years to make sure we save as many people as we can. We can't save everyone, but we can save who we can. Skaikru will not fight a war with the clans. We have too many other obstacles to overcome for that. The next few days we will go over what is expected from everyone."

"We will need supplies, food and water for six days. That is how long it will take to travel to the edge of our galaxy. There we have to fly through a wormhole. Which will take us back eight years. I have no idea how all this works, but Raven and Monty do."

"Tomorrow you will talk more about it and gather all our supplies. Then we leave this place to go back. Make no mistake though, anyone that decides to not share this peace with us, there will be no second chances. We can't afford them. This time, we will all do better, but only if we work together, first under me and then Leska kom Trikru."

I leave them to think about all that I have said. I pull Madi aside, "What is it, Clarke?" She asks.

"Madi, you told me your mom was killed by reapers a few weeks before Skaikru came down. I can't stop that from happening. If I knew where it happened exactly then I could send Indra to help her, but you didn't remember. If we could save her we would. I do want you to do something for me though." I tell her.

She looks at me and asks, "What do you want me to do, Clarke?" 

"I want you to find Indra, before we come down. Stay in the shadows and find her. Go to Ton Dc. She will keep you safe. That isn't all though, I have a plan to get a meeting with Anya quicker than last time. I have talked to Indra about it and she says it will work. I can't tell you the plan now. Indra will tell you about it then. Trust me and trust Indra. That is what I am asking." I tell you her.

"Clarke, I trust you and if you say to trust Indra I will trust her as well. I will head to Ton Dc soon as I leave my mother."

I give her a big hug and say, "Come my little nightblood, we have only a few days left before we leave. I don't know about you but I think we could use some berries. It will be a long time before I am able to have any again. Food on the Ark is not all that good."

A week later. 

I give Madi a hug, put her in her seat and buckle it up. "I love you. Two years will go by in a flash, but I will be thinking about you every day. I will always be with you."

I get in my seat, next to her and grab her hand. Speaking into the speakers, I say, "Ok everyone this is what we have been waiting for. Gabriel went through the wormhole twenty minutes ago. Now it is our time. Ste yuj. See you soon, my friends."

I turn to Raven, and say, "Raven, take us home."

It was a bit rough on mom trying to explain why 73 people, including herself fainted, many hitting their heads or injuring themselves with whatever they were working on at the time. I was in earth skills class at the time. I had to wake up to Pike's stinking breath in my face. 

Oxygen deprivation, or that's how the story goes, confirmed by Jackson. This serves our purpose well. Dad doesn't understand it all, but finding the flaw, he is on board. It's been a week since we came back. Today mom and dad will bring the news about the flaw in the system to the council. A little earlier than last time. It has to go right. Dad will try to get them to inform everyone and the vote won't go his way. 

I am sitting with Monty and Raven in the dining hall. Turing to Monty I ask, "Is it finished? We have to release dad's video tonight."

"It is all ready to play on all Ark systems during dinner tonight."

Turning to Raven, I ask,"Is everything else ready. They will arrest him within minutes and Jaha won't wait long to execute him."

"All the workers have a meeting tonight, just around the corner to the airlocks. They know what has to happen. We have already filled them in on the flaw in the system. They are behind Jake fully."

"Good, because without my dad, this mission will be much harder. Everyone needs him, I need him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there is a lot of talking in this chapter and many time jumps. I could have stretched all this out into multiple chapters, but why do that. 
> 
> So next chapter will have a few surprises in it. I am looking forward to those as well. 
> 
> I would like to thanks Sleepingfordays again for previewing the chapter and giving feedback. 
> 
> Hope to see you next chapter.


	3. "Coup De Grace"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake Griffin gets his message out to the people. A new Chancellor is voted in. Clarke starts on part 1 of her plans.

Chapter 3 "Coup De Grace"

I am in the medical wing, when I hear the message coming in. Mom and I move over towards the wall, where there is a monitor. "I am Jake Griffin, I am the Ark's Senior Environment Engineer and Deputy Resource Officer. What I have to tell you concerns us all. Though half the council and Chancellor Jaha wants to keep you in the dark. I cannot in good conscience do that."

"Right now they are more than likely coming to arrest me and float me. That is not important though. What is important is that every life on the Ark is in danger. Last week I found a flaw in the Arkwide air systems. We no longer have 100 years to go down to the ground. In less than two years we will run out of oxygen. First, people will go blind and get sick. It will be a slow and painful death after that."

"However, we have options to help prevent that from happening. Jaha doesn't want that though. He thinks population reduction is the answer. It is not. Why should anyone have to die, not when they do not have to. Jaha doesn't want you to know all this. There are so many other options left for us. We can figure all this out, but only if we work together and our best minds are not silenced."

As dad is talking the guard rushes in and communications go silent. Mom and I start running down the halls of the Ark, Wells and Bellamy catch up with us as we are turning the corner. Wells looks at me and says, "Clarke, dad isn't even taking Jake to a cell. He gave orders to the guards to have them meet him at the airlocks."

After thinking for half a second, I turn to Bellamy and Wells, "Ok, you guys gather all the workers and meet us at the airlocks."

Bellamy looks at me and says, "What are you both going to do?"

"We are going to buy you guys some time. We are going to go say goodbye to my dad. Just hurry, they won't give us much time."

It takes mom and I no time at all to make it to the airlocks. Jaha is already there, four guards are making sure my dad doesn't go anywhere. I run up to dad, but before I can get there two of the guards are blocking my path. I know I can take them out, but that isn't how I want to play this. Jaha turns to them and says, "Let them through."

Mom goes over and kisses dad while I turn to Jaha and ask, "Why are you doing this? Dad is your friend."

"Clarke, your dad has committed treason. He went against the council vote. As Chancellor, it is my job to follow the law and see it obeyed. The law states that anyone over the age of 18 who commits a crime is punished by death. You know this, Clarke. I know that he had help and I will find them all."

I look at him and say, "It doesn't have to be this way. We can find another way. Working together is the only way to save us all." 

"You are a child, Clarke. You have no idea what it takes to save our people. I am not without a heart though, you may say goodbye to your dad. He doesn't have to see you arrested for helping him."

"You're so kind, Chancellor, sir." I tell him before turning to my dad.

"Clarke, it's ok. At least the people know, you will go."

Dad doesn't finish what he is saying, when we notice Bellamy and Wells walk around the corner, with hundreds of people behind them. I have never been so happy to see both of them in my life. Marcus and about a dozen guards come up the other hallway, aunt Callie next to him.

Jaha looks at them, thinking that they will protect him. "It is time, Jake Griffin, for the crime of treason, under statue 123, all crimes committed by a person over the age of 18 is punishable by death."

Sinclair steps up around Wells and says, "Fortunately, that is not going to happen today. Here we have a petition signed by 437 people. There will be no execution today. Today the people have spoken. We call for new leadership. You are right sir, it is time, time for a vote for a new Chancellor."

Jaha glances around to everyone and finally says, "A vote may take place in the morning. However, that does not change the fact that Jake Griffin has committed a crime. His punishment begins now."

Kane steps forward and says, "This man's punishment is on hold, as article 48 of the unity code. A person can not be punished if a vote is called. All punishments will only resume when the voting has been completed. If any person awaiting execution is voted in as Chancellor, the execution is null and void. So is any crime that they may or may not have committed."

Kane then turns to the guards and says, "Escort Jake Griffin and Chancellor Jaha to their quarters. Have two men guard each door. Tomorrow evening we will find out who is the new Chancellor. The council will decide after the election what is to happen to both of them."

The guards take Jaha and dad into custody and I turn to mom and say, "Mom, go with dad. I have a few things to do before I come home later."

I then start leading everyone to a room just off to the side. Kane looks at me and says, "Clarke, everyone here knows what happened in the previous timeline. They choose you for their leader. However, they know that legally you can't be named Chancellor. Not till you turn 18. So everything is set to make Jake Chancellor."

I look at him and ask, "We can't let Sidney or her people know about what is going on. We need a list on who they are. That is your job Kane. You have three days. Also, within the week, we will be charging the council members that voted against keeping the people in the dark. Punishment will be losing their seats on the council. Wells, Bellamy, Raven and Sinclair will take their places."

I pause for a minute, and continue, "From now on, floating will only happen with certain people. Sydney, Shumway and some of their co-conspirators will have to eventually be floated. Do whatever it takes to make that happen, even if you have to come up with false evidence. We know that those two won't give up. We all know Sydney wants control. We will not have them set bombs on the Ark."

Sinclair looks at me and asks, "I have to ask, since technically two of the new council members are not of age, how do we get them in?"

I point to Wells and he answers for me, "Under article 17 of the unity charter, under certain circumstances someone under the age of 18 can have a seat on the council, if the need calls for it. With my knowledge of earth skills and politics and Raven's knowledge of practically everything else, and the Ark being in danger, we can be on the council. We just can't be voted in as Chancellor."

I start pacing for a minute, before turning to Raven and saying, "Ok, Raven, between now and then you have to come up with proof that there is life on the ground. That is how we get you and Wells on the council. Even if you have to make a fake recording of Mt. Weather talking about the clans." I pause for a moment before I continue, "In fact, that's exactly what I want you to do."

Turning to everyone else I say, "Everyone else knows what they have to do. Make sure most everyone votes for my dad. Just don't talk to any of Sydney's people. The election has to run smoothly. Next week, after Raven and Monty take care of the things they need to do, we will start bringing the 100 together. That will be where I come in. I have to get them ready to go down to the ground. Are there any questions?"

When no one speaks up, I wrap it up, "That's it for for now, we will talk more in about a week. Tomorrow we vote in the new Chancellor."

I head back to my family quarters. Once there I head in to talk to my parents. "We went over the plan for the rest of step one. Everyone is ready. Now we just wait till tomorrow."

Dad hugs me and says, "Clarke, I am so proud of you. You will be the leader we need. I know you went to the ground before and survived, but I will still worry though."

I look at him and say, "We have plenty of time before I go to the ground. Right now I just need sleep." I hug mom and head to my room. While laying down in my bed I open my journal. I read through my schedule, knowing that I have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks. 

When I am finished with all my notes, I turn back to the beginning of the journal. There are my girls, I can't sleep without them anymore.

A week later dad makes an announcement to everyone on the Ark. He broadcasts from the council room. "People of the Ark, there are many things I need to say tonight. First things first, we more than likely will not be able to save the Ark. We have found a way to save our people though. Raven Reyes and Monty Green picked up a transmission from a military bunker on the ground. They were talking about others on the ground as well. This means that the ground is survivable."

Dad looks at his tablet for a moment before continuing, "There is a problem though, the people of the Mt. have been talking about experiments that they do on the other survivors of the ground. Based on the things Raven and Monty have heard, we have no reason not to think that Mt. Weather, would not do the same to us if we came down."

"It seems like the survivors follow one leader, some people on the Ark might consider her a child, because she is so young. Being young does not make someone a bad leader nor does it make them inexperienced. They train their leaders almost as soon as they are born."

Dad takes a moment to let people think, "That being said, we would need to make contact with the survivors and not with the people of the mountain. With them having such a young leader, we need to send people down that they might relate to. We really only have one option. As of right now we have 87 young juvenile offenders in the sky box. We send them down, and they make an alliance with the survivors. In return, the moment they accept the mission and start training, all of their crimes will be pardoned."

Looking at the council and the rest of us in the room, dad continues. "I know what you are thinking, those are our children. They won't be alone though. I am sending a few of the council members down with them, as well as my own daughter. We will make sure they have all the supplies that they need. This isn't something that will happen tomorrow."

"We will take the time to train them. We have almost two years of oxygen left and we will have them ready. We will give them a few weeks to get everything down there ready for all of us to come down."

"There are other obstacles we need to work on as well. I will not keep anything from you. There are a little more than 2800 people on the Ark and only enough seats on dropships to take maybe 1000 people down." 

Dad takes a minute to let that sit in, "This is an issue we have two years to work on. I promise you, working together, we will find a way for everyone to come down. We already have some ideas. For now, I need everyone to just give us the time we need. I will keep everyone updated as we figure things out."

Now that dad has made his announcement, we can talk about a few other issues. I turn to dad and say, "I need you to work with Raven. When we send the Ark down, only two stations actually make it. Farm station and Alpha station. There are three drop ships. One will have the 100 in it. The other two will have three people awake in it. The rest will be in cryo. There were 400 people in the farm station. How many can fit in Alpha station?"

"Wick has helped us make plans to have about 1000 people fit in Alpha station. Simulations still show that even without the damage sustained last time, that only those two will be completely intact." Dad says. 

"So that leaves roughly 1200 to try and fit into two spaces that normally only hold about 500. Is it even possible to add about 100 more into the dropships? How would that work? Especially when we have to take seats out to make room for cryopods." I asked my dad.

"I was talking to Wick today, about it. Each cryopod will take the space of three seats. We don't have floor space, we would have to stack the cryopods like bunk beds. We take out the seats first. We would then have to stack them three high on each level of the drop ships, but it can be done."

"How long do you think it will take to get it all finished?" I ask him.

"We were thinking about three months for each dropship. That includes the cryopods." He says.

"Good, mom you can help put people in the pods, as soon as they are finished. Like I said, training will take many resources. This way, what resources that we have to use will be covered, with 600 people sleeping in each dropship they will use less resources. Dad, they should be volunteers and most should not be people that remember the previous timeline." I tell them.

Mom looks at me and asks, "Why can't they be from the previous timeline?"

I take a moment before answering, "We need everyone that remembers the past to be with us. We need people that know there is a reason that we do things the way we do. When we do wake everyone up, the hard part will be over. We will be on the ground and Mt Weather will have been taken care of. The rest will mostly be about technology based issues."

Dad looks at me and says, "I guess it's time for me to join Raven and the others, to work on the cryopods. What are you doing today, Clarke?"

"It's time to start training the 100 for life on the ground. I don't want any stone left unturned. We also have the unity day ball tonight. Kane will be finding out about the girl under the floor. The council needs to spare Aurora's life. In return she will be in charge of the crew making armour for the 100. You will have to make a speech for that, within the next few days." I tell dad.

I leave the room, heading to the Skybox. By the end of the night, the rest of the 100 will be arrested. 

The guards let me in and the prisoners come out of their cells, I turn to the guards and say, "Leave us. We will be fine."

David Miller looks at me and asks, "Are you sure, Clarke. Some are quite violent."

I look over at Bellamy on the other side of the room and motion him over. I look at him and say, "Bellamy, I want you to attack me. Let's show them what we can do."

Bellamy pulls out his baton. He swings to the right and I dodge to the left, coming up behind him I grab the baton. I have it at his throat before he can turn around. I turn to David and say, "As I said, I will be fine."

Shaking his head, he and the other guards walk out. I look up and I notice everyone is looking at me. Ten year old Charlotte is the one that speaks, "How did you do that? He is like twice your size."

I look at everyone, "By now, you have already heard about the issues facing the Ark. You also know that you are all going down to the ground. I am here to make sure you are ready."

"Ready for what, to die from radiation?" Dax asks.

"We have learned much about the earth and there are people down there, two groups. One will kill us to experiment on us. The other will kill us if we can not gain their trust."

"So just what is it we have to do? Why do we have to follow you?" Atom asks.

"First, we have to have peace with the people of the ground. The people in Mt Weather, most there will never want peace. We will join forces with the survivors against Mt. Weather. You will follow me, because I will be able to keep most of you alive."

I walk down the line of kids before continuing, "Some of you will not make it. Most will, but only if you follow me. There is no negotiating, there is no argument about it. You don't have to go on this mission. However, if you don't, then the Ark will float you. If you choose to go on this mission you follow me, without question. If you do not, then you put everyone's life in danger and that is not something that I will allow. If you do not follow my orders or those I put in charge when I am not available, then I will kill you myself. 

"So how are you going to train us? Just what is it we need to know? Are you going to teach us to fight?" Riley asks.

"I am going to teach you everything. The survivors speak English and a language called trigedasleng. You will be learning that, how to swim, weapons of all kinds. You will learn how to track, hunt and fish. You will learn to fight, even kill. You will learn when to kill and when not to. If any of you harm anyone unnecessarily, then there will be harsh consequences. If you kill someone and it isn't self defense, I will execute you myself."

I look around my people, we have so much work to do. "Now we begin, split into four groups evenly. Murphy, Bellamy and Miller, you will each train one group. In your groups, you will need to pair up. Today we learn hand to hand combat. You will not move on to weapons until I say you are ready." I tell them.

I turn to my group and say, "The goal isn't to actually hurt your opponent. Now that you are paired up, In your pairing I want the oldest to go on the offense and the youngest to go on defense. We will switch later. This is to see what we have to work on. Now, fight."

Just as I wanted, Charlotte is the only one without a partner. I look at her and say, "Charlotte, you're with me. Today I want you to watch. After everyone finishes today, Monty is going to come teach Earth skills. Charlotte, you will not be joining them. You will be escorted to medical. There you will shadow my mother, Dr. Griffin."

We are barely an hour in, when Riley starts complaining. "I need some water. Why can't we take a break?"

I calmly walk over to him and ask, "You want a break?"

He looks at me and swallows before answering. "It is just so hot in here, Clarke. We have been going almost an hour."

I glance around the room, everyone in the room has stopped doing what they are doing. They are watching us. I turn back to Riley and say, "You want a break? Ok, go take a break. Get some water, go sit down down a bit."

"Thank you, Clarke." Riley says as he turns and walks away.

I let him get about five steps away, before I sweep his legs out from under him. Flipping him over, I have a knife at his throat, before he can even blink. "There are no breaks in a fight. You quit, you turn your back on an opponent, then you are dead."

I look back at everyone else and continue, "I could have killed Riley already. I still can. Is there anyone who wants to stop me? This is your chance."

Dax is the only one who starts coming towards me. I stand up slowly, having him come to me. When he is standing a few feet from me he swings his first punch. Dodging to the right I swing my left arm around and elbow him in the throat. He drops like a sack of potatoes. I look around and ask, "Anyone else?"

When no one speaks up I say, "Ok, then. Dax and Riley, get back to work. You have so much to learn."

I walk back to my group, talking as I go, "We are not here to coddle you. I am not your mother. I am your leader. I am here to make sure as many of you can survive. I won't lie to you. Some of you will not make it, but it will not be from lack of skills or laziness. Now everyone, switch roles. Those attacking will now be the defenders."

After a few more hours, we finish training, and I take Charlotte to medical. I look at her and say, "Charlotte, I will be honest with you. I don't want you joining us. You're barely ten years old. When we go down you will be twelve. I have no choice though. We might have to kill people and I don't want that for you."

Charlotte looks at me and asks, "Then why am I going? What can I even do, if you don't want me to fight?"

I put my hand on her shoulder and say, "Charlotte, you will learn to fight, because it could be needed. There might be a time where you will have to defend yourself. You will have those skills, but there is something we need even more than fighters, and that is a second healer. You will learn more than anyone else. You will learn how to heal someone with little to no supplies. You will learn different plants to have on hand, in order to stop pain and infection. You will be the most important person out of all of them."

Charlotte is quiet for a moment. She finally looks up at me and asks, "Clarke, can you find out about my parents? Why did Jaha float them?" 

"There are many things I will tell you that I won't tell the others. Most won't be today, but will come in time. As for your parents, they were doing illegal experiments. Sometimes on the Ark, there are accidents and there is too much nitrogen mixed in with the oxygen. They were trying to fix that. Only thing was, they didn't have council approval and Jaha floated them for wasting resources. I can promise you that he will never float another person."

I make sure she is looking at me before I continue, "There is one person that found out about you attacking the guards after they were floated. Wells, Jaha's son tried to stop them from arresting you. He even punched his father for it and hasn't spoken to him since. He didn't believe a ten year old should be arrested for grieving. I only tell you about him because he is going down with us. He is going to be your guard. Every healer deserves a guard."

"Thank you, Clarke." Charlotte says as mom comes over to us.

Mom hugs Charlotte and says, "We got this, Clarke."

"Sure, mom. When you are finished, bring her to our quarters. She will have dinner with us." I tell mom while walking out the door.

Octavia will be arrested just like last time, at the ball. Finn will set up Raven's space walk, a walk that she won't actually take. They will fight and Raven will leave, guards showing up right after. Jasper will throw a party with illegal substances. The rest of the 100 will be there and will be caught. Miller will be with Jasper, to make sure it goes smoothly. So many moving pieces tonight and it all has to run smoothly.

I head to the Blake's and knock on the door. They open the door and I go in giving them each a hug. "So tonight's the night. Dad is ready to make a speech. He is suspending all floating as a punishment for minor crimes. Your's will be the first Aurora."

"So we play this like last time? I go to the ball, solar flares will become active and there will be an inspection. People will be sent back to their quarters. I will act like the innocent little girl without an ID. They will arrest me and mom." Octavia asks.

"Yes, by tomorrow afternoon your mom will be measuring the hundred for armour and boots. We need at least two sets for everyone, except for me and Charlotte. We will need to double ours, because we will be the only ones with medical knowledge. I expect ours to need cleaning more often." I tell them. 

"Will we at least have some supplies sent down with us this time." Bellamy asks.

"We are limited on wood here, on the Ark. So the spears and bows will be limited to our best skilled people. Guns and ammo most will have. However, some will never get a gun. When we first get down we will have to settle for Monty's algae for a day or two. You will lead a group to the first bunker, where you will get more bullets, guns and blankets. We will have any medical supplies that can be spared as well as radios. In other words, my parents will not send us down without everything that can be spared. We will have most of everything that we need, the rest we will be able to get." I tell Bellamy.

Aurora gives me a hug as I am leaving, "Thank you, Clarke, for taking care of my kids."

"No thanks needed. They are family and always will be. That makes you family as well." I tell her and walk out the door.

After talking to Miller, I head back to eat dinner with the family and Charlotte. As we are eating I tell Charlotte about the past timeline, though I leave out a few things. She looks at me and asks, "So after everything, you just decided to change the past? Why didn't you go back and stop the bombs from destroying earth in the first place?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but you are partly right. If giving the chance to fix the mistakes of the past that many of us made, there really isn't any other option. The time machine would only be able to hold so much fuel for one thing. We might have been able to come back ten more years or so, but not another 97. So we came back to a time that we know and can work with." I tell her.

"If you go down again, won't you have to face the same issues as before?" She asks. 

I take a drink of water and answer, "Yes, we will have to face them again. The difference this time is that we know what to expect for the most part. We know how to deal with the people on earth, so hopefully we won't have to war with them. Our goal is to have peace with them. An alliance in order to fight the Mt men together. We have to gain their trust first. Before we didn't understand each other. Now we have people from all their clans who are already part of our people. The trick is for all of us to get the rest to trust us, mainly their leader."

Charlotte starts playing with her food before she looks back up and asks, "Why do we have to fight the Mt men at all?"

"The Mt men have been torturing and killing the clans for many years. They will do the same to us, when we come down. If we help them, they will just continue to take more and more until everyone in the clans and all of us are dead. They want the ground for themselves. They think that they have earned it. That's enough questions for now. I think it's time for you to go to bed." I tell her.

Charlotte gets up and asks, "I guess I need an escort back to the skybox?"

Shaking my head I say, "No, you're not going back to the skybox, except for training. Down the hall, the first door on the left is a bathroom, the door on the right of it is our room. Dad installed a bed over mine today. You will stay with us from now on."

"Really? I get to stay here?" She asks.

"Really, you are now part of the family. You will still have to have an escort when going anywhere, but no more skybox, except for training. Actually, why don't you go check it out. The dresser on the right is yours. You should find nightclothes there. I will join you soon." I tell her.

Running up to all of us one at a time and hugging us, she says, "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you."

"Mom, dad, you should both get a bit of rest before you have to make your speech. I am going to try myself." I tell them.

Mom looks at me before pulling me into her arms and asks, "It's the dreams, right? They aren't getting any better, are they?"

"Yeah, it's the dreams. Sometimes they are good dreams, but mostly not. So much death and I can't even save them." I say.

Dad puts his other arm around me and says, "Oh, kiddo. The good thing is that it doesn't have to be like it was. You will change what you can and we will help you do it. Besides, I can't wait to meet Madi. Lexa though, I might have to have a chat with."

"Good luck with that dad. I'm going to bed. We will talk in the morning, before you address the people." I tell him. 

I walk into the room and Charlotte is looking at my journal. She asks me, "Who are they? You have drawn them a lot."

I don't even have to see the page to know who she is asking about. "The older one is the commander, Lexa kom Trikru. She is the leader of all the clans. The little girl is my adopted daughter, Madi." I tell her.

"I can tell you loved them a lot. What happened to them? Do you still love them?" She asks.

She lays the journal back on my bed and climbs up into hers. I open it back up and say, "They were both killed, at different times. It won't happen this time. I never stopped loving them, and I never will. Now let's get some rest."

It isn't long before I hear her snoring. I spend the next hour drawing maps for Mt Weather and just as I am about to close the journal I hear whimpering above me. I stand up and gently shake her awake. "It's ok, Charlotte. You're safe. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I dream about my parents being floated every night. I wish I could make them go away. Do you ever have nightmares?" She asks me.

I sit back down on my bed, closing my eyes before responding, "I have nightmares most nights. I have for years. They do get better, or they did for me. They came back just as bad after Madi died in the other timeline. Her death and the things I had to do afterwards still haunt my dreams. I even still dream about my dad being floated and Lexa dying. Your's will get better, I promise. Let's go back to sleep."

Once I am sure she is sleeping, I get up and leave the room. Dad is just coming back, "Can't sleep sweetheart?"

"No, I can't. I was really hard on the kids today. It's not quite the way I want to lead them."

"There is a balance to leading. Being hard on someone is sometimes necessary. You will find that balance."

"Thanks, dad. I think I might have. I need to go talk to them, now that the others have been arrested. They need to know why I am hard on them."

"Sometimes a leader makes mistakes. The difference in a poor leader and a great one is not only recognising it but making sure it doesn't happen again."

I head to the skybox. It doesn't take me long to get there. After dismissing the guards, I call everyone out. Murphy comes over and asks, "What's up, Clarke?"

"It's time to introduce myself to the new people tonight, plus I need to tell them exactly why we have to be hard on them."

"If you're sure about that? Truth didn't exactly help me out when Charlotte killed Wells."

"That's exactly why I need to talk to them."

I turn towards everyone, "Most of you already know me, for those that don't, my name is Clarke Griffin. Those of you that came tonight have been updated on our mission. You all know part of the reason we are being sent down to the ground. Not one of you knows the full reason."

Jasper looks at Riley and mumbles under his breath, so low that I can barely hear him, "All these girls, maybe we can have a party."

Shaking my head, I continue, "Earlier today I was hard on you all. I even went so far as to threaten you. That is not what I want. I am not saying that I won't be hard on you at times. Chances are that I will, but there are reasons for that."

I start pacing back and forth for a minute, after stopping I look at them, "Some of you might think I am a bit crazy, the truth of the matter is, some of us have come back in time. We know what happens if we don't do certain things. Most of the people of the Ark will never know this. There is more at stake here than just the people of the Ark and the people on the ground."

"If we don't change things, no one will survive on the Ark or on the ground. I don't like killing people, yet I have killed more people than you can count. That is not something I want to repeat. However, if it means saving the human race and earth, then I will kill who I have to." 

"We have to do certain things to survive, this is true. However, I want more though. I want it for me and for you as well. I want it for everyone. Life is about more than just surviving. We deserve that and so does everyone one else on the ground."

The other six that are left from the original 100 come over to stand next to me. We all share a look before turning back to the others.

"Our mission has two main steps. Step number one, make sure everyone that can, survives. Step number two, make a future where we can live our lives happily. For tonight I want you all to think about that future. What does that future look like to you? How far are you willing to go in order to make it come to fruition? For me, I will do just about anything."

"Get some rest, we will forgo training tomorrow. Instead we will discuss everything that has to be done."

With that I say good night to Murphy and Octavia, and head home. It doesn't take long for sleep to find me, dreams and all.

Meanwhile in Polis

Lexa's POV

I wake up gasping, throwing my hand over my stomach. What has been going on? I have been having these dreams for a little over a week now. What are the commanders trying to tell me? Some of the dreams are about my death, others are different. I can't go to Titus about this, he is in too many of them. When he is in them, I get a feeling of uneasiness.

As I slowly get dressed, I find myself glancing at my stomach again. Indra should have arrived last night. I called her in because she is in my dreams, along with someone else that I have never met. I can't quite see her fully, but she has the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen. They are like the blue of the sky meeting the ocean. I have never seen anyone with eyes like that before.

After making my way to the throne room, it isn't long before Indra joins us. She bows to me and I raise my hand before saying, "Leave us."

I give Titus a look when he doesn't leave right away and he asks, "Heda, are you sure?"

I glare at him and say, "I didn't stutter did I? Gon we, nau."

When Titus leaves I turn to Indra and ask, "Indra, what do you know about a commander's dreams?"

Indra looks at me and says, "Most commander's dreams are either a memory from a previous commander. Sometimes they are warnings, sometimes not. Why do you ask?"

I don't know how much to tell her, so I start with this last dream, "For eight days now I have been having dreams, sometimes the same ones and sometimes not. Last night I had a new dream. Titus was there and some woman with blue eyes was there."

Indra walks a bit closer to me and asks, "What happened in this dream?"

"I am in a bed, in a room a few doors from mine. I am bleeding out from a gunshot wound in the stomach. Standing in front of the bed is this woman with the most beautiful blue eyes that I have ever seen. She was crying. I couldn't see anything but her eyes. Titus was standing behind her and I knew that I was dying. The woman started reciting this poem. I only remember the last few words of it, (May we meet again). I think that was when I died." I tell her while rubbing my stomach.

"You said you had other dreams, what happened in them?" Indra asks me.

I stand up and start pacing the room. When I finally stop I turn her and say, "In some of them it is just this woman and me in a room, or in my tent, sometimes we are even riding. I can only see her eyes in every dream, but her voice is always the same. In some dreams, you are in them. In one you are begging me to let you kill her. In another you are angry, you ask me if I am considering something. I go on to tell you I am not considering it, that I am doing it."

Indra starts muttering under her breath, "What is it Indra? What is going on?" I ask her.

She keeps shaking her head back and forth, before replying, "You won't believe me if I told you. We thought no one was supposed to remember anything, but the few of us that came back."

"Indra, what are you talking about? What do you mean no one would remember?" I ask her.

"I want to tell you first that I am not crazy and I can have others come to tell you the same thing. There are people living in space right now. In two years they will come down to earth. We all came back from the future. In this future, the earth was destroyed, so we went into space. A lot happened and they found a way to come back time." She tells me.

I am not sure what to believe, but people have come from the sky before. I sit back down on my throne. Pulling out my knife, I start twirling it before I ask, "So, do you know who this woman is? What's her name? What was she to me?"

"When they first came down she was the leader of the first group that came down, with 100 kids. Now she leads all her people. They will come down again in about two years. Her name is Clarke. She was also known as Wanheda, after she killed everyone in the mountain. You and her were together. She never stopped loving you, not even after years. Love is not weakness. Her love for you kept her going." Indra tells me.

I don't know what surprises me more, that someone defeated the mountain or that after Costia I found someone else. However, I feel in my heart, that Indra speaks true about everything. I get up and walk right up to Indra and say, "I believe you, Indra. Now tell me everything. What is the plan? Why did you come back? Who killed me? What happened to the other nightbloods? I want to know it all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I normally try to get out a chapter out once a week, this week I am a few days later than I like. Next week looks to be just as busy for me, but after that I should be back on schedule.
> 
> I want to thank thebookprincess for being my reader this week. Her help was invaluable.
> 
> I know some might be wondering when we will get to the ground, that is coming really soon. Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4 "Let's go home"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke finds out some interesting news about not only the flame, but also about Lexa's Tattoo. They make it to the ground but something isn't as it should be.

Chapter 4 "Let's go home"

11 months and 3 weeks later

I wake up to the static of the radio, "Clarke, come in." Raven says.

I look at my clock and see it's only 4:00 am. Damn, one of the few nights the dreams didn't come. They aren't all bad now, but I wake up with such a longing for things that will not even be possible for a long time. 

"Raven, what's going on?"

"Clarke, I need you to come to my lab. I found something on the computer that you have to see."

"Does it have to be now, Raven, or can it wait? I was sleeping." 

"Sleep is for the weak, Clarke. You definitely want to see this, Clarke. It has to do with the flame."

"What? I will be right there."

I waste no time throwing my clothes on and making it to the lab in record time. I don't even have the door completely open before I am asking, "What is going on, Raven? The flame is on the ground, Lexa has it."

"Oh, I have access to Lexa's flame, but I noticed something on the computer last night. I have been up all night trying to figure it out. Soon as I did I called you."

"Well what is it, Raven? Has something happened?"

"It seems like when we came back, the flame from the previous timeline came back with us, just not physically. I didn't think this was even possible. It has downloaded itself onto the Arkwide computer systems. Soon as I found out last night I moved it to just my computer. It also seems like it is talking to Lexa's flame."

"I don't understand, Raven. How did this happen? What do you mean, it's talking to Lexa's flame?"

"I don't know how it happened and we may never know that. It seems like it is sharing the previous timeline with Lexa's flame. That isn't what is important. What is important is that it's got me thinking." 

"You thinking about something is not always a good thing. Tell me what is it you're thinking about?"

"It has me thinking about many things. The main thing is that we need to make a second chip."

"Why would we make a second chip? Just who would we put it in? How would we make the chip? We would also need someone with nightblood and it is not going in Madi."

"Ok, here me out. A second chip might be needed for so many things. I can download plans for the mountain, the power plants, many things on it. Then there is Allie. Having a second chip, would only help. As for the person who receives the chip, we know four people on the Ark that have already been a nightblood. Only one other has already had the chip in them. You are the only one that should have it. You are our leader."

"What about Clan culture. I don't know about this. It is something I would have to think about."

"I think many would accept it. Gaia and Indra would be ok with it. It's not like you would be taking Lexa's place as commander. I think of it more as a way to lead beside each other. The flames are already talking to each other, which means that Lexa will remember some of all of the previous timeline."

"Ok, Raven, you can make a second chip, while I think about it some more. I will also have mom make nightblood. This does not mean that I will have the chip put in me or anyone else. It just means that I want it off the computer and stored safely for now. Did you forget Sheiheda is in the chip?"

"No, I didn't. I was going to store it somewhere safe regardless if you had told me to destroy it. Actually though, I want to make two chips. One I want to experiment with. Maybe I can isolate Sheiheda and get rid of him without putting anyone in danger of him taking over or destroying the flame in the process. That will take a lot of time though."

"Now that Raven, that is the most important reason to build another flame. See that it is done. I will have mom make me a nightblood."

"Oh I heard about your meeting with Octavia today. I want to see them when they are finished."

"Octavia says it will take most of the day. So maybe come see them after dinner."

"I never saw you as the type to get a tattoo, Clarke. I learn more and more about you every day. Oh, I have been meaning to ask, How are things going with Finn? Is he still trying to get with you?"

"Almost everyday. I have lost count of the times I have rejected him, many times by putting him on his ass. I don't know how to stop him from snapping, like last time."

"I am at a loss as well. He won't listen to me when I tell him you aren't interested and never will be."

"I will do what I have to, in order to ensure peace with everyone."

"I know, Clarke. It's ok. Now, I have to get to work."

"Don't forget the other stuff as well, Raven. I am amazed at all you have finished so far. I'm going to talk to mom. I will see you tonight."

"Sure thing, Clarke. Bye."

I make my way to the medical wing. I pull mom into her office. "Mom, I need you to make me a nightblood."

"Why would we need to do that Clarke?" She asks me.

"The flame, the one that was in the previous timeline, downloaded to the computer. It has been talking to Lexa's flame in her sleep. There has to be a reason this has happened." 

"Why do you think it has happened, Clarke?"

"I think that Becca knew that we would need two. I have no idea what for yet, but it has to happen."

"Clarke, I trust you, but I can't put the flame in you. Not until we have a way to defeat Sheiheda. If something was to happen you could lose it again. Sheiheda would know that. What if he took over you?"

"Mom, it has to happen. I think the two flames will have to work together this time. I won't put it in until we are sure we can find a way to get rid of Sheiheda. Raven is already working on making the flame and finding a way to kill him for good, for both flames."

"I will make the nightblood, but I won't insert the flame until Raven is sure and it has been tested."

"I promise that I won't accept the flame until Raven is sure he can be stopped. I fear him taking over Wanheda as well. It won't happen."

"Ok, you better go, Octavia is probably waiting for you."

"Ok, mom. I will see you for dinner."

After talking to my mom, I head to the sky box so Octavia can do my tattoos. Even though it is early, I can see that Octavia has been training. Sometimes I think she is like Raven and rarely sleeps. 

She stops training and says, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I have thought about it for the last few years. Yes, I definitely want them both."

"I will do the one going down your ribs first. The second one will take most of the day. It has a lot of detail in it. Talk to me about it, it will help distract you."

"This was tattooed on Lexa's back. She told me that each circle represented a nightblood from her conclave."

"So there were supposed to be ten in her conclave? Counting her, Luna and Ontari."

"No, actually there were twelve nightbloods born that generation. One was killed before coming to Polis, another jumped off the tower, before the conclave. At least that is what Gaia told me."

"Aren't you worried about Madi, when she has her conclave?"

"I always worry about Madi. If I have anything to say about it, it will be a long time before there is another conclave. I hope that by the time that it does happen, there will be peace and maybe a new type of conclave."

"How is that going to be possible? The conclave is their most honored tradition."

"I am not as naive as I once was. Blood must not have blood, will never work, not like it was. It will have to happen more slowly and not right after a massacre. Also, there are times when it will be called for. We can't kill a whole village for the crimes of a few. Some people are also too dangerous to keep alive. Nia, Pike, Titus, and Emerson to name a few."

"How will we take care of them when the time comes? I won't let Pike kill Lincoln this time."

"Many things we won't let happen this time. Pike is just one of them."

Octavia stops for a minute and looks at my side. "Do you want to see it before I put cream on it and cover it?"

I glance at my side and the tears start flowing down my face. It looks just like the one on Lexa's back. Octavia brings me a glass of water, puts the cream on it and bandages it. "You do good work, Octavia"

Before I know it she is working on my arm. This one will be much longer and bigger, it will run from my shoulder all the way down to my wrist. "So tell me about this one, Clarke. It is quite beautifully badass."

"Well the roses are the love I feel for everyone. Relationships of all different kinds take time to cultivate. They are sometimes messy and thorns can hurt. It doesn't mean that you stop working on them. The two clocks represent the two different timelines that we have lived in. The cogwheel reminds me of Lexa's headpiece."

"I get all that, what do the colors mean and the skull?"

"No matter how much I run from my destiny, I will always be Wanheda. This reminds me that I can be Clarke and Wanheda at the same time. It's finding the balance of the two, that is the hard part. The color black is a tribute to all the Trikru lives that I was responsible for. It is the color they use on their own tattoos. The green reminds me of the trees and Lexa's eyes. Trees were the first thing we saw when we first came down."

Just as Octavia is finishing the tattoo, Raven walks in. "Holy shit! That's freaking badass, Clarke." She says.

Octavia puts on the cream and bandages my arm. "It took me awhile to design it, to get it just right. Octavia did a really good job on it." I say.

"Keep this bandage on overnight, it's bigger, with more detail. The other one should be healed by now. This cream that Monty, Jasper and Wells came up with works wonders with infection." Octavia pulls the bandage off my side and Raven gasps. 

I look over at her, the shock is clear on her face as I ask, "What is it, Raven?"

"Where did you get the idea for the one on your side? I totally get the symbolism for the sleeve, but the one on your side is different."

"What do you mean different? This was tattooed on Lexa's back after her conclave. It represents the other nightbloods she had to kill to become the commander."

"I bet not many people have seen her tattoo. Maybe a handful of healers, the flamekeeper, you and the one who did it. It was in Becca's files. Every commander has the same one. It has nothing to do with the nightbloods though." Raven says.

I am still in a bit of shock as Octavia asks, "So what does it mean?"

Raven looks at me and says, "It is basically everything. The top circle has basically been cut 3 times. The first break in is when the bomb hit and hurt the earth. The second one is when the death wave hit, hurting the earth even more. The third one is when Mccreary completely destroyed it. See the two lines breaking it. He broke the earth completely."

"So what does the rest mean?" I ask her.

"Space, the stars and the anomaly make up the middle section. The two suns are here. One is Sanctum and the other is Bardo. The break in Sanctum is when Russell fell to the red sun, killing most everyone he knew and forming the Primes and his followers. The last four circles are the planets that can only be accessed through the anomaly." She says.

"Tie it all together for me Raven. What does it mean as a whole?" I ask her.

"It means that us building the time machine and coming back was Becca's master plan. Not only did she send us the plans to do it, she also left the blueprints on each new commander. She knew everything and now it comes full circle. We can not fail this mission, we might not have another chance. She wanted to fix what she did by killing Allie. She couldn't do it all on her own, she needed us to do it for her." Raven finishes.

"Which also means that she knew that we would need two flames, eventually. I am not sure what for, yet. However, Raven I need you to make that your main focus for a bit. Almost everything is ready for us to come down. Is there anything else we need to do but finish training?"

"Well actually there is, but that only took ten days to complete last time and that was working by myself. Clarke, with all simulations we have been running for months, there is still no way to launch the Ark, except manually. Abby and I told Jake about the shuttle. He wants to be the one to send our people home. He would then take the shuttle down maybe half a day later." Raven says.

"If that is going to be the case, I won't try and stop him, but Raven, make it safe. He isn't as young as you are. Fix a suit as well just in case it is needed. I also want a few ration bars and water stored on board. A radio too, just in case we can't pick him up right away." I tell her.

"I get it, Clarke. I will make it as safe as possible. I promise." She says. 

"Ok, everyone eat dinner and rest up. I have to talk to my mom and I then I will do the same."

With that I head to my quarters, but before I can leave the skybox, I am stopped by none other than Finn. "Hey, princess. Why are you in such a hurry? You should spend some time with me. We need to get to know each other better. We can, maybe talk in my cell?"

"Finn, this is so not happening. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that."

"Why not? I know you like me. I can feel the tension rolling off of you everytime we train. Come on, we could have fun. You're just scared to be with someone."

"Finn, I will tell you this once more and it will be the last time. I don't see you that way. You are a nice guy, but I will never be with you. Nothing good can come from you keeping on."

"I see how you talk about the commander, someone that you have never met. I doubt she would be with anyone from the sky. You have already said that we will be invaders. Besides, it wouldn't work, she's a girl. Someone like you could never be happy with a girl. You need someone to take care of you, a man. I will wait, I will be that man for you." He says while grabbing my arm and pulling me closer to him.

I punch him in the face, before saying, "You will have to wait forever, Finn. I will never be with you. Furthermore, it is not your concern who I am with or when."

"Clarke, I love you. I am in love with you. It doesn't matter how long it takes, you will be with me."

"You don't know what love is, Finn. Watch yourself, if you continue down this path, no one will be able to save you, and truthfully, I won't even try."

With that I walk home. Charlotte and mom are waiting for me, with dinner ready. "Your father will be here soon. What's wrong?"

"Nothing much, I just have to wash up, gotta get the touch of Finn off me." I say heading to the bathroom.

As I am coming out the bathroom, dad walks in and we sit down to dinner. "Clarke, why does Finn keep on? During training I see the way he looks at you. I have heard you telling him that you don't like him, yet he keeps on trying." Charlotte asks.

"I have no idea why. I told you about what happened in the previous timeline. I care about him, I always will, he is one of the 100 and from the Ark. However, he hurt both Raven and I. Things are different this time, I know where my heart lies. Physically, I am almost 17, but I have so much more life experience. Then I was this angry teenage girl, thrown into making impossible decisions. I think that was mostly why I was with him. I surely didn't know him well. I just hope he snaps out of it before we go down. I will have to kill him and I don't want that, not for anyone, but the mission has to come first."

"We will be there for you, Clarke, no matter what has to be done. It took me a long time to come to terms with you growing up and being the leader that our people need. I never wanted you to have to make the decisions that you had to make. I wanted to keep you safe. I still saw you as our little girl. I had lost Jake and I couldn't lose you as well." Mom says.

"I will try to always be safe, but we all know that isn't always possible on the ground. Mom, you need to speed up on the nightblood. For now I am the only one who will have it. We found out it was actually part of Becca's plans. Part of those plans will definitely require that two people to have a flame. Raven is making the second one now."

"What about this Sheidheda person, isn't he inside the flame?" Dad asks.

"Not to worry, Raven will have a way to destroy him before it is inserted in my head. We have to be able to do the same for Lexa's flame as well. I will wait for her to figure it out." 

"Can I see your tattoos? I want one." Charlotte asks.

"You can see them in the morning. The one on my arm has to stay bandaged till then, to heal. You can not have one until you're older and you have to design it. Now let's go to bed."

1 year later, time go home

I am in medical, Raven has finished all her tests on the flame and it's time to insert it. Mom made me a nightblood last month. Mom and Marcus started getting dreams about Sanctum. So far it is just the two of them. The mind is a curious thing. We think it has to do with the mind drives from the previous timeline and the two flames.

However, we still aren't sure about that. We did determine that they aren't communicating with either flame and it isn't anything that is harming them, physically at least. "Clarke, are you ready?"

"Yes, mom. I am ready. Sooner we do this I can make final inspections and by tomorrow, I will see Madi."

"It's hard worrying for those you love, especially a child. You did well with her and your will again." Mom says.

"It's just been so long since I have seen her. I worry if she is safe, if she found Indra, if she remembers me? When we came back she was only four. Do most kids remember at that age?"

"Most kids remember the important things. I have no doubt that she will remember you." Mom says.

"Ok, mom, let's do this. We have so many other things to finish today."

I sit in a chair as mom says the passphrase, "Vita est circa magis quam iustus vivit." 

I feel a searing pain at the back of my neck as the flame enters my body. After a minute I try and get up, but mom stops me. "Raven said your body needs about ten minutes to fully accept the flame and you shouldn't move much till then. Tell me about the new passphrase, you never said what it means to you honey."

I look at mom for a minute, I rarely talk to anyone about Lexa much, but perhaps now is the time. "You know what the phrase means, Life is about more than just surviving, in Latin. It was something I said to Lexa, right before the mountain. It was also her last words, not counting the COL."

"It is definitely fitting. You don't talk much about her. Maybe you should. Not with just anyone, maybe with those of the 100 that you are closest to, or you can always talk to me about anything." She says.

"I know mom and I am getting better with that. It's just some things I only want to talk to Lexa about. I thought that we had time for all that and then Titus had shattered that illusion. I can't let it happen again. I have learned so much from you these last two years. I just hope to not have to use most of it."

"Actually, I have a few things for you. This box here holds ten of Raven's new inventions. We only had materials to make the ten. Charlotte already knows how to use them." Mom says.

"What are they? What do they do?" I ask her.

"Working with the cryogenics, Raven came up with them. She calls them popsicle sticks. You place it against a wound, press this button and it freezes it. You then have three hours to repair the injury. It stops all the bleeding for a four inch radius around it. It doesn't affect other organs in the area either. Since there are only ten of them, you have to be careful on who you use them on." Mom says.

"Thanks mom, this will definitely help. What do we need to make more?"

"Some available cryopods, but those are all in use and we might need them again. So in other words, we can't make anymore. We have to deal with what we have on hand." Mom says.

"Got it, mom. I need to get going, I have to make a few final inspections. I will see you right after my speech. Everyone will have about ten minutes to say goodbye to their families."

She hugs me and I walk out the doors. I meet Raven in the back room that has the shuttle that dad will take down. "Is it ready?" I ask her.

"It's ready, all he has to do is talk to the computer, it will guide him down within a few miles of the dropship. It should be easy to find him, I put a tracker on the shuttle and on his suit." Raven says.

"Thank you, Raven. I will worry less. Let's go check on the dropship."

It doesn't take us long to get there. Monty is already there with Jasper. "How is she Monty?" I ask him.

"I have just finished securing the radios. Jasper and I also took care of the other supplies. Systems are working 100%. We should be ready to go." Monty says.

"I guess it's time to get everyone here and start my speech so that we can all say our goodbyes." I say.

I turn to the crowd and start, "People of the Ark, I am pleased to say that today is the day we start our journey home. The easy part is over. Now we start a series of missions to save not only us and the clans, but the whole earth. We only have one shot at this. We can not fail."

"We are the ones that fully know the consequences. Everyone here knows that I will do what I have to to ensure our success. I will do my best to keep not only the 100 alive, but everyone of you as well. When you come down in ten days we will have an alliance with the clans."

"With changing the timeline, we don't know what will happen, but we know what we want to be the end result. We will not rest until that happens. Now it's time to say goodbye for now to your kids, that are paving the way for everyone. We will see you in ten days."

I make my way to the dropship, where everyone is saying goodbye. Mom, dad and Charlotte join me there. "You girls keep each other safe." Dad tells us. 

He then turns to me and hands me his watch, "You know this watch has been passed down through the family. It was originally my great grandfather's, now it is time for you to take it home. Stay strong, baby girl. We love you and will see you soon."

Mom turns to Charlotte and says, "You are so special, keep that light shining. Jake and I both love you just like you are our own. This bag was the first med kit I owned, may it help you on your journey. We will see you soon."

With tears flowing from everyone's eyes we all take turns hugging, before mom calls Raven and Murphy over to us. "We need all of you to keep each other safe. You may have lost your parents, but never forget that you still have family. You are both stronger than you think and you deserve happiness as well. When this is all over, find it. We will always support you."

I look up and call out to everyone. "It is time, everyone to your seats, buckle up and don't take your seatbelts off. We aren't losing anyone on the way down this time."

Charlotte and Wells take their seats next to me and we buckle up as the doors close. Charlotte grabs my hand, "I'm scared, Clarke."

I squeeze her hand and say, "It's ok, you're ok. The ride down will be a bit bumpy, but we will be ok. I promise."

The engines come to life just then and we are falling fast. It doesn't take long for the parachutes to deploy and our descent slows down. Charlotte's death grip on my head lessens. 

As we crash onto the ground Charlotte let's go and everyone unbuckles their seat belts. This time I am happy to say we didn't lose anyone. We walk to the door and it is actually Octavia that speaks up this time. "Clarke, you should be the first one on the ground, you and Raven. It is because of you both that we are here."

I open the doors and say, "It was all a group effort. I wouldn't be here without everyone else. However, none of us would be here without Raven. With that being said, Raven, the honor is all yours."

Raven walks down the platform and steps on the ground, "We are back, bitches." She hollers. 

We all file out and I give everyone a moment before I say, "Ok,   
Raven, your group is on communications. Get the Ark on the line and let them know we made it fine, all of us. Last time we had the wrist bands this time we used the materials for other things."

I turn to Miller and Bellamy, "Your group is security, get a fence built. We can make it sturdier tomorrow. Harper you and Charlotte work on tents and a medical area. Wells and Murphy, your group needs to set up a smoke house and an area for water. Jasper, Octavia, Monty and Finn you're with me." I say as I hand Octavia and Jasper a rifle.

Octavia and I both have swords as well, and the others have knives. I strap my pistol to my thigh just as Finn asks, "Don't I get a gun too? I have to protect you ladies. It's not safe out there. What are we going out for anyways?"

"Finn, let's get a few things straight. First off, you will never have a gun. That attitude alone makes you not mature enough to use it wisely. We don't need your protection. We never will. You are only on this mission as a tracker. We are going for food and water. I doubt Octavia and I will even need to use a gun. Keep this up and you will see what happens. I don't want to have to lash anyone on our first day on the ground, but I will."

We head out, this time with Finn keeping his mouth closed. He isn't even the same kid as he was last time. Finn never talked to people like this before and he never would have touched a gun until he lost his mind. He was more peaceful. I don't know if I can stop history from repeating itself.

I can't really think about that, even though Jasper isn't supposed to be speared today, he is still going to be taken and tomorrow I get to see Madi. I miss her so much. We see the two headed deer from last time and both Octavia and I take out our knives. After a quick aim, both knives are flying through the air. Octavia hits the deer in the back, while mine hits right between his eyes.

"Monty, Jasper, make a litter for the deer, we are not eating ration bars tonight. Stay here, we will be back in about an hour with water." I tell them.

The three of us head to the river, "Octavia, keep watch. Finn, gather some water in the canteens."

I gather up as much of the red moss that my bag will hold. I will later split it with Charlotte. We aren't there long when Octavia whistles. I look up and see a group of Trikru coming out of the woods. Anya is leading them. She stops about twenty feet from us and steps off her horse. "Which one of you is Clarke?"

For a minute I just stand there, this shouldn't be happening. I notice movement beside me, as Finn has his knife out and rushing towards Anya. "I will save you, Clarke." He screams. 

With a flick of my hand, my knife flies through the air, embedding itself in his shoulder. "Tie him up, Octavia. I will decide his punishment later."

I turn to Anya and say, "I am Clarke. Who are you?"

"I believe you know who I am. Your goufa tried to kill me. That is an act of war." She says.

"War is the last thing I want. No one was harmed and he will be punished. Your right, I know who you are Anya. How do you know who I am?"

"That is not for me to say. Though I would love to kill you all, I have different orders, for today." Anya says.

Something is going on, that's for sure. None of this should be happening, not like this. The only one Anya takes orders from is Lexa. "What orders did Heda give you?"

"We are to go back to your camp, pick up your attendants and meet her in Ton Dc. Though now it will take longer with this branwoda." Anya growls.

"You're right, I can't leave his punishment for later. So let's get back to the dropship. I assume you have horses for us to ride, so we can make it to Ton Dc by dark."

"We do, your man Monty and his friend are already on their way back. My warriors are taking the deer for them." She says.

I tie Finn to the back of the horse Anya gave me. He can run behind us. It doesn't take us long to make it back to camp. Climbing off our horses we lead them into camp. Bellamy, Raven, Wells, Charlotte and Miller come over, but it is Bellamy that actually speaks, "What's going on Clarke?"

"Seems the commander wants to meet with me. First, though I need a pole set up in the middle of camp. Finn attacked Anya."

"Is meeting the commander this soon a good thing, Clarke?" He asks.

"It will be fine. I need that pole in the next ten minutes. We will have to make it to Ton Dc by dark." 

Turning to the others, I say,"Miller, I need your shock batton." 

As soon as it is set up, Octavia ties Finn to the pole and I turn to everyone. "People of Arcadia, one of my rules was to not attack anyone unless I ordered it. Finn went against that. He has had more than enough chances. Let it be known that if you don't follow orders there will be consequences."

I turn to Finn and say, "Finn Collins, you disobeyed orders on more than one account. Under chapter 21 of the exodus chapter I sentence you to ten lashes."

I step up to him and hit him with the batton, he screams out as the electricity flows through him. I continue with each lash, the last one causing him to pass out.

I turn to Miller and say, "Take him to medical and tie him to a cot."

Charlotte turns to me and asks, "Are you leaving tonight?"

I give her a hug and say, "Yes, but you are coming with me. Clean Finn's wounds, but do not use any medicine. We will leave in about 20 minutes."

I turn to Bellamy, Miller and Murphy and say, "I need you three to stay and keep camp in order. Finish the fence and food storage."

Turning to Monty I say, "I need you to get in contact with the Ark and let them know about the change of plans."

"Raven, Wells, Octavia and Charlotte, you are all coming with me. I am not sure how long we will be gone. Pack for two days, just in case. "

Charlotte turns to me and says, "Clarke, I have never ridden a horse before."

"It's ok, Charlotte. You will ride with me. You only have to hold on."

Anya turns to me and says, "I have never seen that form of punishment before. It looks quite painful, I like it."

Raven looks at her and says, "It is painful, but it has its other uses as well. There are more painful things in this world as well." 

Anya shakes her head and says, "Maybe you can tell me some of those later."

Raven smiles and says, "Sure thing warrior princess, my name's Raven, by the way."

Anya leaves a few warriors and horses with everyone. It isn't long before we are arriving at the gates of Ton Dc. I shudder at the memories of the village, bodies burning, horses running out of the gates on fire. I refuse to let that happen this time.

I hop down off the horse and help Charlotte down. Indra walks over and grabs my arm and gives me the traditional Trikru hand shake, "Good to see you Clarke. There is so much to go over. The commander has gone to check out an attack in a nearby village. She will be back soon."

"What's going on, Indra? How do they know about us?" I ask.

Indra doesn't get a chance to answer before I hear a voice yelling, "Clarke, you're here."

"Madi, I missed you so much." I hug her tight. 

Indra takes us to a tent, Anya follows us. Raven, Wells and Charlotte stay outside. "Indra, what happened to the plan? Though this might make things easier."

"Heda knows just about everything. She started having dreams the day we came back. I had to tell her." Indra says.

"Oh, everything?" I ask her.

"Yes, everything, or most of it. Some of it she didn't want to know from me. Some she wanted to hear about only from you and some she wanted to figure it out herself." Indra says.

"I didn't believe a word of it, not until I saw the ship. I still don't know if we should trust you, but I will trust Heda." Anya says.

At this moment, the tent flaps open and Lexa walks in. I take a deep breath as she looks me up and down. She is just as I remember her, warpaint and all. I look her in the eyes and she says, "So you are Clarke?"

"I am and we have many things to discuss." I say.

She turns to the others and says, "Gon we. We will talk in private."

"Is that wise, Heda? I am not sure I trust her yet." Anya says.

"We will be fine, Anya. Indra says we can trust her. My commander dreams also tell me that we can trust her. Besides, what is one girl against me? If anything happens you will hear us." Lexa says.

I turn to Anya and hand her all my weapons, "Here, I mean your commander no harm. Give them to Charlotte."

As soon as they walk out the tent Lexa speaks, "My dreams, though they have become a bit more clear, are confusing to stay the least. So the last time you came, we were at war?"

"Last time, we didn't know there was anyone on the ground. We started a war, but that is not what we intended. Just like you, I did everything that I could to protect my people, with no experience. This time we know more and war is not our intentions, they never were. We have so many things that we need to do, in order to work together to fix." I say.

"I remember the mountain, how can you work with people that betrayed you?" She asks.

"I have had plenty of time to think about that. You did what you had to do. I would have done the same, in fact, in a way I did. I killed everyone in the mountain, even those that had helped us, even the children. The first thing we have to do is take the mountain. You can't do it alone and neither can we. You get us to the doors and we can take care of the rest. It's where our technology skills are needed." I say.

"This means more to you than just taking the mountain, though." Lexa says.

"There are many things that we have to do, the mountain is just one. You are key to keeping the clans together for what is to come. You have to survive." I tell her.

"It is not just about the clans for you, it is more personal. From what I gather through, I am not the only who holds such importance. Chaos will happen with your people as well, if something were to happen to you." She says.

I don't get a chance to answer her, as there is a commotion at the edge of the village. We ran out of the tent to see what was going on. It is there that I see Finn waving a gun at Niko and some others.

"Where is Clarke? I know you have her. Let her go." He screams. 

"Finn, drop the gun, this isn't happening." I yell out. However he doesn't hear me.

Anya punches me in the face, "I knew we couldn't trust you." She growls.

We are too far away to help them. Bellamy comes running in the gates with his gun. I elbow Anya, knocking her out, "Bellamy, gun, now." I yell.

Indra and Lexa are running towards Finn, but they will never make it. Just as he opens fire, I shoot. I hit him in the back of the head. As he falls the rest of us start running. Raven is already there along with the others and Nyko. "Raven, go get Charlotte, I will need her."

"Can you help them, Clarke?" Lexa asks.

I look at Tris and Artigas, both hit from the bullets from Finn's gun. There is Wells on the ground, shot as well by trying to stop them. 

"Clarke, help them first. I will be fine, barely a scratch." Wells tells me. 

"Charlotte can help Artigas, she will need Nyko's help. I will do what I can for Tris. We need boiled water."

Raven brings over to us Charlotte. "What happened, Clarke?" Charlotte asks.

I grab Charlotte by the shoulders and say, "Finn shot them. You can do this. Artigas got hit in the shoulder. Take the bullet out and sew it up. You got this, I will take care of Tris."

Anya comes running over, "You're people did this, if she does you die." She sneers, while holding a knife to my throat.

Lexa comes over and says, "Let her help, Anya."

Anya drops her knife and steps back. I turn to Tris and access the damage. Tris has lost so much blood. I rip Tris's shirt open and see that the bullet went in just below the heart. I take a deep breath, pull out Raven's popsicle stick and hold it to Tris's stomach. The blood stops flowing and she stops breathing. Ok, bullet first. 

"Indra, when I finish I will need the tubing in my bag and the orange smaller bag inside it. She will need blood." I tell her.

I take my scalpel and cut a small incision in her chest, taking my fingers I feel around inside her, there is the bullet. Keeping my fingers on it I gently pull it out with my tweezers. Nyko comes over with a needle already threaded. "Thank you, Nyko."

After making sure she isn't bleeding anywhere else, I sew her up. Now it's time to start her heart again. "Raven, I need your baton." I say.

Raven hands me her baton and I shock her. Nothing happens. "Come on Tris. You can do this." I say and do it again.

She starts breathing again and I pack her wound with the moss I picked up earlier. "Raven, I need your help. You know how to do a transfusion. Tris will need one." I say.

"Clarke, we don't know her blood type. Whose blood will we use?" Raven asks.

"That's why I need your help, we are using mine. Mom ran more tests on it, it is universal." I say.

"Are you sure Clarke. They will know about your blood." She says.

"I am sure. Now do it, she will die soon if she doesn't get the blood." I say.

Raven hooks me up and my blood starts flowing into Tris. Anya looks over at Lexa and says, "She's a natblida." 

"Not now, Anya. We can discuss it later." Lexa says.

Madi rushes in, "Clarke, are you ok."

"I am fine, Madi. I am just helping Tris out here." I say.

Raven looks at me and asks, "How much do we give her?"

"She lost a lot of blood. I really don't know without more equipment. As soon as I pass out, stop it. Then we can all be moved to a tent. It should be enough." I say.

"What do you mean pass out? How is this going to affect you?" Lexa asks.

I look up into Lexa's eyes and can see the worry in them. "I will be ok. I will just be tired and fall asleep. After a few hours of rest I will be ok. Charlotte is more than capable of taking care of them both during that time."

Lexa looks at me and shakes her head. It doesn't take long for me to lose consciousness with Lexa watching me the whole time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go another chapter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I had writing it.
> 
> I want to give special thanks to my reader for this chapter, my friend Lockie. Hope to continue to work with them on future chapters.
> 
> Next chapter we come into contact with a certain Pauna and make some plans for taking the mountain. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Kacie


	5. Chapter 5 "Heartfelt Confessions"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two favorite ladies have many talks about plans and other things. When something happens to put people in danger they make their way to face an old enemy.

Chapter 5 "Heartfelt Confessions"

I wake up, just as the sun is rising, gasping and drenched in sweat. I look over and see Lexa a few feet away, the look of relief and understanding on her face. I go to get up and my legs give out. Lexa is right there gently guiding me to the bed. 

I look at her for a moment and say, "I will be ok. I just need to check on Artigas and Tris."

"Your lil sis is with them. They are ok. Tris woke up in the middle of the night. Raven said that you shouldn't be doing anything until your body is recovered. Your body requires food." She says.

"I am good. I just needed another minute. Food will be good. Then I can check on the others."

"Your healing techniques are like nothing we have seen before. They were impressive to say the least."

As I go to stand up again Lexa helps me, just until I can get my feet underneath me. "Part of it is the tech we use, though most of it can be learned by all the clans. Though that does take time. I learned from my mom. We call our healers doctors and she is in charge of all of the Dr.s on the Ark."

As we are walking to the campfire, Lexa asks me, "What are some of the other things your people can teach us?"

"Many of our people do not have the skills of the 100. They were trained for the last few years, some even longer, in the longer in the previous timeline. Most everyone on the Ark has a different set of skills. Some work only with tech, others work as healers, some are builders and farmers. Our tech, with a skilled farmer can test the soil to determine if it is capable of producing a high yield of crops. It would take awhile to explain everything, which is something I want to do eventually. However, there are more pressing matters to discuss, first."

We make it to the campfire and sit down on a log. Indra comes over and hands us each a plate of boar meat and some fruit. "Madi is with Charlotte and the others in the med tent. They are waiting for you both." Indra says.

"Thank you, Indra. We won't be long." I tell her.

Indra walks away and Lexa asks, "How long did you know Indra in the previous timeline?"

"We knew each other for awhile. When we first met she wanted to kill is all. It took her some time to think differently. It was about nine months before Praimfaya separated some of us. I spent a few months alone before I met Madi. Then it was another six years before I saw everyone else again. A little over a year and a half later we went back. None of that counts the over a hundred years we spent sleeping. E isIn that time, we all went through lifetimes of hardships. So those that are left are really close."

"Indra told me yesterday, that you didn't always have nightblood. She also said that she didn't think you would have it this time. What happened to change that this time and the last time? How did you do it? Those that have it are normally born with it." She asks.

"The first time we made nightblood was because of Praimfaya. I put it in me so no one else had to be experimented on. This time, we found out that the flame came back with us. It was talking to your flame. Becca Praimheda's notes confirmed to us that we would need two flames, in order to fix the earth." 

I swallow before continuing, "Since I was the only one on the Ark to have had the flame in me, I became a nightblood, so that I could receive it safely. Though I don't want to take your place. I don't want another commander."

"Though I don't fully understand or remember my dreams fully, I remember you saying that in the dream in which I died. You can't run away from who you are, Clarke. You are Wanheda, that will never change." She says.

I look at her for a moment before asking, "Can we talk about something else?"

She looks up and says, "We don't have to talk about anything. We should actually go check on the others."

"I am feeling well enough with the food and the sleep. We can talk about what to do next later. Madi hardly saw me before everything went to hell. I will need to go back to camp soon, to see how Finn even got the rifle."

We both get up. When we are almost to the healing tent, Lexa stops and says, "You saved many lives yesterday, even taking out your own to do it. I am still not sure why you did it, but thank you."

"He broke the law. He wasn't even supposed to have a gun, because of what happened last time."

"I am sorry that you had to kill someone you cared about, twice."

"Truth is, last time I hardly knew him. This time he was just one of my people. Though I didn't want to kill him, I couldn't let him hurt anyone else or worse."

We walk into the tent and I am engulfed into a hug. "I knew you would be ok, Clarke." Madi says.

"Hey, I am always ok. How are our patients?"

"They are good. Charlotte went to sleep not long ago. Are we going to talk about what we are going to do next? I can help you, Clarke." She asks.

"We will talk tonight, I promise. First I have to check on Tris and Artigas. Then I have to talk to Heda and the others. Then I will talk to you and Charlotte. Now go get some breakfast."

As Madi leaves, I check on Artigas first. After changing his bandage I say, "You are looking good. I think there should be no complications with your healing. However, you shouldn't train for a few weeks. Give yourself some time to get completely better. Training too soon could damage your wound."

"Thank you for healing me. Our people don't usually live from flagon injuries." He tells me.

"Your welcome. Our people do not want a war with your people. I am sorry you were shot. I will try and make sure none of my people harm another clan member again. If they do they will be met with the same end as the boy that shot you."

Just as he is falling back asleep, he mumbles, "You can't help what others do, it only matters what you do when something happens."

Lexa looks at me and says, "He is right, you know. This wasn't your fault."

"I shouldn't have left him back at camp. I am their leader, their actions reflect on me as well."

"We can't always predict or control what others do. What Artigas said is true. You didn't have to help us. You didn't have to kill him or save those that he hurt. Yet you did. You could have tried to save him his fate, but you didn't. You didn't have to save Tris either, but you did. That tells the people a lot about who you are."

I turn to Tris who is looking at me, "Who are you? Nyko said I should have died, but your magic saved me." She asked.

"My name is Clarke. I am a healer from the sky. It wasn't magic that saved you. It was tech and knowledge that we have learned in the sky. Anyone who had this knowledge could have saved you."

Lexa steps over and says, "She is a healer from the sky, but she is also so much more. She is their leader, and also Wanheda. She brought her people down to help us. She killed the man that shot you, then she healed you."

I clean Tris's wounds and rebandage them. Turning to Lexa, I say, "That is only partly true. Anyone would have done what I did."

"No one else could have stopped him from hurting anyone else. You were also the only one there that had the skills to save Tris." Lexa says, just as Raven and Anya walk in. 

"The commander is right, Clarke. Though you are never one to admit that you are awesome." Raven says.

"I thought you and the others would have headed back to camp by now." I say.

"Anya and Lincoln are going to take us back, but first I had to talk to you." Raven says.

"What has happened now?" I ask her.

"Monty and I set up recording equipment on the radio. We have the proof to float Sydney and her people. They ordered Dax to give Finn the rifle. Their goal was to kill the commander. Your dad is already floating all of them tonight." Raven says. 

"Good thing that they didn't succeed. I knew keeping them awake would serve a purpose. I just wish people didn't have to die in order to do that." I say.

"There is more that we found out. Anya and I determined the best way to go about it." Raven says.

"What else did you find out?" I ask.

"One of the dropships has three locations that we can program into it for a landing. One is near Ton Dc, another near Polis, and the last is a small village outside of Ton Dc. Anywhere else and it will collide with Alpha station." Raven says.

Lexa looks at me before asking Raven, "What did you and Anya decide?"

"We have decided that there is no other choice but to evacuate Beri. There are only about thirty living there. Skaikru has offered to help them build elsewhere. I have already sent riders, having them come here." Anya says.

"Good, when will these drop ships come down?" Lexa asks.

"They are scheduled to come down in five days. All but one landed in Trikru territory last time. Most will cause some damage but they won't land anywhere near villages." Raven says.

"Where is the other one supposed to land?" Lexa asks.

I look at Lexa and say, "Azgeda. There wasn't a way to change where they landed. The dropships are different from the rest of the Ark. Those can be programmed to land in a different location. The Ark is made up of twelve different stations. When they come down, they will break apart, scattering into different locations. Last time only the two sections were intact. The ones that crashed then will have no one on them this time."

"I can't stop Azgeda from attacking the other station, not until after the war with the mountain. They would be invaders in their land." Lexa says.

"We know, it was not something that we could change. People will die, but we can only do so much. It will be the leader of that group that we will eventually have to stop, in order to save your people from them." I tell them. 

Raven looks at me and asks, "So what do we do now, Clarke?"

"If it's ok with the commander, you and Octavia will stay. I need you both to tell me about the location of the village, so that I can draw a map to send back with Bellamy. The Ark has to know where to land that dropship. You will go back after we can talk strategy. You and Monty will have to stop the mountain from jamming us, all without them knowing about it." I say.

"What about the others, Madi, Charlotte and Wells?" Raven asks.

I turn to Lexa, "Polis is too far for Tris to travel at this time. Someone will have to carry her. She will need Charlotte to look after her. Is there a village close by where they can go, just in case. I want them to be safe. Madi would need to go as well."

"Why would they need to leave, in order to be safe? Ton Dc is the safest place in all of Trikru." Lexa asks.

"Not many places are safe enough for a missle attack." I say.

Lexa closes her eyes a moment before saying, "That happened, I was hoping that it was just a dream."

"It happened, we have a way around it, but not until the Ark comes down. It didn't happen until we started working together last time, but we have changed things already. I would like the kids out just to make sure." I tell them.

Lexa turns to Anya and says, "I want all the kids ready to leave by morning. Prepare a cart for Tris. They can go to Himlay. They will be safe there. Send ten warriors with them, they must be protected."

"Sha, Heda. It will be done." Anya says.

"Let's continue this in the war tent. It seems like there is much to discuss. Anya, Raven, when you finish giving the others their orders, find Indra and join us." Lexa says.

We walk into the tent and I say, "Thank you, Heda. I just want them safe."

"I know Charlotte is like a sister to you, but what is Madi? She should be joining the other nightbloods in Polis, and soon I will have to send her there." 

"Charlotte isn't my sister by blood, but over the last two years she has become so. In the last timeline, she was a 12 year old girl who was plagued by nightmares, after losing her parents. She killed my best friend because he reminded her of his father. His father is the one that executed her parents. She later jumped off of a cliff" I tell her.

"And Madi, what about her?" She asks.

"After sending who we could into the bunker, which was about 1200. There were eight of us that couldn't make it to the bunker. I stayed behind to turn on the Ark, so they could survive. For months I thought I was the only one left alive. Then I got caught in a six year olds bear trap. That is how I met her and learned that she was a nightblood. It took awhile to get her to trust me, but she finally did. For six years we were alone together. She is my child, I will do anything to protect her, even if I failed last time."

"The past is the past, we have the chance to change it, because of you and your people. I still have to send Madi to Polis soon." Lexa says.

"I know, I just want to finish taking care of the mountain and then maybe I can join her there. There is danger there as well, though. Danger from someone you would least expect it from."

"So, I do have to worry about Titus? Every dream I have had I get this bad feeling about him. He killed me, didn't he?" Lexa asks.

I close my eyes for a minute and swallow hard, "He was trying to kill me. He thought that I was dangerous towards you and the coalition. Aden and the other nightbloods said that they would protect my people, but I couldn't even protect them, just like you, and just like Madi."

Lexa puts her hand in mine and says, "You feel every death, but you feel those the most."

"I do, Tris's as well. She was on the bridge when I blew it up, I couldn't save her. We were at war, which I never wanted. I did what I had to, to save them. Some days I don't even know why people want me to be their leader, I get so many people killed." 

"Sometimes we have to do that, stare into someone's face and say go die for me. Tell me, with more knowledge, how many more people have you saved this time?" Lexa asks.

"Last time we lost eighteen of the hundred and about 360 of your warriors." I tell her.

"See, if you count this man Dax and Finn, then you have saved about 380 lives. Leaders make mistakes, that is always going to happen. A good leader learns from them. Now let's talk more about Titus. What was your plan for him?" She asks.

"He is the flamekeeper, we can't just kill him without actual proof that he is a danger to you. Though I decided long ago, if it came to that I would do it, even if it cost my life. I plan to set a trap for him, when he falls into it, then he can be dealt with."

"You will not be sacrificing your life. We will figure it out. Who would you choose to be the new flamekeeper in his place? You probably have someone in mind." 

"Gaia kom Trikru. She has been the flamekeeper before, when there wasn't a person to put the flame in, when there was, and when the flame was destroyed." I tell her.

"I am guessing it was Madi that received the flame. What happened to it?" She asks.

"Sheidheda happened. Madi thought I was dead and let him in. She was able to break away from him, when I put a gun to my head. Sheidheda was killing her, at the time Raven could kill him, but only by destroying the flame. The choice was Gaia's, she chose Madi over the flame. Of course we didn't know he jumped into someone else. Since then Raven has learned how to isolate him and just kill him. So that won't happen again. There is something else you should know though."

"What is that? What should I know?" She asks.

"The only way for us to have most everyone remember was to come back two times. When we came back the second time, the flame that was in the other time came back with us. It attached itself to our tech and started communicating with you through your flame."

"I have dreams about Becca making the flame, so I understand much more than anyone else in the clans. So you're telling me that you made another flame. That is how you were able to make the shot, the one killing Finn. No one else could have made that kind of shot, with that range. Only question I have is why?" She asks.

"Further research on Becca's files suggested that two flames are needed to defeat the computer that sent the bombs 97 years ago, causing the first Praimfya. Eventually our two flames would communicate with each other. If need be I will take mine out, after we defeat Allie."

"That might not be necessary. We will discuss that further, later on."

Anya and Raven come in at this time and Lexa removes her hand from mine and I instantly miss the warmth. I turn to Raven and say, "Tell them how we plan to stop a missle, if the mountain tries to send one."

"Monty is monitoring any communications coming from the mountain. If need be we can block their signal so that they can't send it. However, that would let them know about us working together. We really want Marcus to come down. His voice closely matches that of their spotter. We can take the spotter and direct the missile towards a different location." Raven says.

"Why would we do that? Where would we direct it?" Anya asks.

"Indra and I decided on the edge of the dead zone. There are old ruins there that we can blow up instead of Ton Dc. Doing it this way, they will think we are dead, including our leaders. Then our attack will be more of a surprise." Raven says.

"I have been thinking though, the mountain men send spies into the forest all the time. Any Skaikru here in the village will tip them off. Hell, even just going back and forth between camps. We should change that. Our clothes put the whole plan in danger." I tell them.

"You will be provided with Trikru armour and clothes. Also, how important is Raven towards the mission?" Lexa asks.

"Without Raven, there is no mission. We might be able to defeat the mountain without her, but the rest will fall apart. Most everyone would die." I say.

"Then we will have to make sure that she stays safe. Anya, you will be her guard. Keep her safe, no matter what." Lexa says.

"I don't need a bodyguard. I can take care of myself." Raven says.

"Raven, I know you can take care of yourself, but having someone watch your back is not a weakness, it is a strength. Out of anyone that I can think of, Anya is the best for that job. You will let her watch your back, that is an order." I say.

"Fine, I will let Anya guard me. When are you going to have a bodyguard? You're just as important to the mission as I am." Raven asks.

"I haven't found one that I can trust and hold their own in a fight against me. When that happens, then I will have a bodyguard." I tell them.

"You will not step out of camp without having a guard. You're just as important to this mission as Raven is. I will give you Ryder as a guard. He is skilled and loyal." Lexa says.

I really don't want to put him in danger, but I also can't say no to her. Though I didn't know him well, I trust Ryder. He can watch my back. "Ryder is a good choice. He was actually my guard for a while in the last timeline." I say.

"I wish I could remember the last timeline better. Sometimes the dreams are confusing. Though some are becoming a bit more clear." Lexa says.

"I hope they come more clear as time goes on." I say.

Anya looks at us and says, "Something seems off about you coming back in time. No one has told me much about what happened. Why didn't Heda and I come back with you? Why can't we remember the past?"

I look at Anya, it is time that she learned the truth. "You died before we took the mountain. They took the 100 and you with us. We escaped together. I had just convinced you to talk to the commander about an alliance, to get our people out of the mountain, when my people shot us both. You couldn't be saved, I was. I gave Heda you're braid. Until then our people had been at war. They didn't know about trying to form an alliance." I say.

"That explains what happened to me, but not the rest. How did Heda die." Anya asks.

"She died about three months later, by Titus's hand. He was trying to kill me. He was trying to kill me because he thought I would lead her to her death." I tell her.

Lexa looks at me and then turns to Anya, "He knew I had feelings for Clarke. In one of my dreams he is trying to get me to kill her. In another, he wanted me to send her away from Polis. He even used Costia to try and convince me."

"That would definitely explain it. I suppose he didn't want to kill you, but accidently did. I've told you many times that his views on love are wrong. Love can be a weakness, but only if you let it. In most cases, love is strength. So what are we going to do about him?" Anya asks.

"You are going to send a message to Polis. I want all the clans armies to gather here for the attack on the mountain. Your messenger will also get word to our spies there. I want them to keep a close watch on Titus. For now that is all that we can do." 

"I think for now, we rest. It has been a long day. The next few days will be even longer." I tell them.

When everyone leaves Lexa turns to me and says, "Come, we will have dinner. You can sleep in my tent again tonight. Leaders always have their own tents. Tomorrow my people will have your tent made."

We make our way to her tent and I ask, "Where did you sleep last night?" I ask her.

"I slept sitting in a chair. It was fine." Lexa says.

We sit down to eat and I say, "You should have kicked me out of your bed. Tonight I will sleep on the ground. You can have your bed back."

"You needed your rest and still do. You took a big risk yesterday. You shared your blood to save Tris. There are a few from the clans that know how to do that, but it isn't practiced much. Sharing our blood with others is sacred. A nightblood has never done it before. It is different, saving someone in battle than saving someone by using your own blood. Tris now owes you what we call a life debt." Lexa says.

"What does that mean? Tris owes me nothing. I did what anyone would have, if they had known how." 

"It is said that if the debt is not honored then both people will die a horrible death. There is no changing it." Lexa says.

"Is that what you believe?" I ask her.

"I do not believe it, but it doesn't matter. All the clans believe it. Wars have been known to start when a blood debt is not honored." Lexa says.

"So how does one honour a blood debt?"

"As soon as she is fully healed she has to stay by your side. She has to save your life. A life for a life. This doesn't mean that she has to die for it. It only means that, once she has saved your life, it is finished." Lexa says.

"Ok, but not until after the mountain, it will take at least that long for her to heal. Now back to what I was saying. You aren't sleeping in a chair or on the ground."

"I won't let you do the same either. So it appears like we are at an impasse." Lexa says. 

"So share the bed, it wouldn't be the first time Clarke has shared a bed. I will say though that she kicks in her sleep, hell she even punched me once." I hear Raven say behind us.

"You are leaders and grown ass women, surely you can both stay on your own side." Anya says while smiling.

Lexa looks at me and says, "I guess we could do that."

"Ok, we are leaving, we just wanted to let you know that the messengers have been sent." Anya says.

"Good, that means in about three days the generals will arrive and we can start the war meetings." Lexa says.

I turn to Raven and say, "Contact, Bellamy. Tell him to use the tunnels and infiltrate the mountain. He is to take Echo's tracker out, the two of them need to work together to take out the mountains defences. Monty can be their eyes on the inside. I want them to contact Monty every hour on the hour to keep us updated."

"Got it Clarke. We will leave you to it. See you in the morning." Raven says.

As soon as Raven leaves we decide to lay down. Once we are in bed Lexa asks, "You are close to your people?"

"The 100, some of them are like family. We have been through so much together. It wasn't always that way. For a long time, they were just my people." 

"Some mean more to you though?" Lexa asks.

"Some do, that is true. They are like the siblings I never had. On the Ark you couldn't have more than one child. There weren't enough resources for them. The parents would be killed, the second kid would be locked up till they were eighteen. Though I care for them greatly, they all know that I will kill them if it means succeeding in the mission." I say.

"Bellamy and Octavia are brother and sister. How come their mom is still alive? Were you a prisoner?" Lexa asks.

"I was a prisoner, last time. My dad found the flaw in the system that meant the Ark was dying. We wanted to go public, but were caught before we could. We were both arrested for treason. He was executed and I was arrested. This time we were able to change that. The people called for a vote after we got the message out. Dad became the leader, which saved the Blakes."

"Why didn't you become the leader?" Lexa asks.

"A person can not become Chancellor under the age of eighteen. I am the leader though, only half the people know. Even dad follows my orders." I say.

"How long is it before you are eighteen?" She asks.

"In twelve days I will turn eighteen. I won't be Chancellor though. I can lead from behind the scenes. It gives me more room to work. How old are you? That was one thing I always wondered, even if it really didn't matter." 

"A commander's life isn't her own. Most don't even track their birthdays, but Anya always did mine. I turned twenty-one a month ago." She says.

"We should get some sleep. There is so much to do before the generals come." I say.

"Reshop, Clarke."

"Reshop, Heda."

I wake up, just as the sun is rising, Lexa snuggled up next to me. I try to inch my way out of the bed, but she just pulls me closer. It's not that I am not enjoying this, I just think it's too soon. Lexa doesn't really know me. 

If I am really being honest with myself, I'm scared. Do I want to be with her, yes. It's just that last time I was selfish, and I lost her. We didn't have much time to just be with each other. I thought we did, I had every intention of coming back to her, after I finished straightening out my people. 

I spent so much time being angry with her. I wasted so much time. Time spent on thinking about what others would think about us. I don't want to do that this time. Yet , I also don't want to just jump in. Her memories of me are scrambled, she doesn't remember everything. In reality she hasn't known me two full days yet. 

I feel her roll over and finally I can move. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to hold you captive. I never have had anyone sleep next to me, except Anya and that was before I became the commander."

I pause a moment as I am getting out of bed, "I thought, not even Costia? Sorry, you might not want to talk about her."

"It's ok, I just don't talk about her much, I think you should hear about her. Costia was my best friend. We grew up together, until I came to Polis at seven. A few years later she came, she trained as the Cook's second. I became commander at twelve. I was away for a few years, trying to start the coalition. It was a bloody war."

Lexa takes a deep breath, I turn around and grab her hand and squeeze it. "I came back to Polis a few months before I turned sixteen. We started to grow closer, but we had to be careful of Titus. She was mine and I was hers. I had planned to tell Titus I wanted to ask her to be my houmon."

"I had to meet with Sangedakru, to finalize them joining us. They had always sided with Nia before. I was young, but I should have known that something was going to happen. Everything went as it should have, but as I got home I went straight to sleep. I crawled into bed and there she was. I went to hug her and she didn't have a body. I don't know how long I laid in bed screaming."

"If not for Anya, I would have not only gone to war with Nia, but I would have thrown away everything I had worked for with the coalition. Costia wanted peace and I couldn't throw that away. I promised myself never to love again. Yet, when I dream I feel it. I may not know you well, but I feel like I loved you in the previous timeline. Those feelings are stronger than I have ever felt before. I want to get to know you better and see if they are real." Lexa says.

I look at her and say, "We didn't know each other long then. We didn't know some of the little things about each other. I wasted so much time. I thought we had plenty of it. I worried too much about how others felt. I was angry for part of that time, so I hid my feelings behind the excuse that everything was for my people."

"I thought we had time. I would go back to my people, fix a few things and we could be together. We never got the chance. I was leaving to do just that. I went to grab my bag from my room, but he was there. I thought it would be ok, he was down to his last bullet, when you opened the door. I tried to save you, but I didn't have the skills then, you were losing too much blood." I tell her.

I clench my fists and continue, "Still, I didn't want to give up. I didn't want to lose you, but I did. Then Ontari killed the nightbloods in their sleep. I couldn't fix anything, or even help. Then it was one thing after another. I tried so hard to help as many people as I could, but I couldn't even do that. It seemed like no matter what I did, there was always something else that needed doing, someone else that needed saving."

"I barely managed to turn on the Ark to save my friends. The death wave hit and I thought that this was it, my fight was finally over. Yet, it wasn't. I survived because I had nightblood. It hurt so much, but it was still nothing compared to losing everyone I ever knew, to losing you. I was alone. I thought that was to be my punishment for all the death I was responsible for." I say.

"I want to learn more about you. I want to have that time that we didn't have before. I never stopped loving you, but at the same time, I don't want to put you in danger again. I don't think I could live another lifetime, knowing that you weren't in it." I say.

I stand up and walk over to get a glass of water. "It's true, we live in a world where one or both of us could die at any time, but I still want to try. I've been just surviving my life for so long now. I thought that was how my life should be, but then I started having these dreams and I realised I want more." Lexa says.

We are interrupted before I can respond. Anya and Raven both run into the tent, both out of breath. "Heda, Pauna spotted just north of here. Dana was walking in the woods and was injured. Nyko is taking care of her, a broken arm. The warriors led Pauna away from the village. We lost two saving Dana. Should we form hunting parties?" Anya asks.

I look at Raven and ask, "Are you sure it will work? I know we couldn't test it on the Ark. Will it kill the Pauna?"

"Final boom will kill an animal twice the size as you described. However, you have to remember that you only get one shot and you are the only one I showed how to use it. You will have to trap the Pauna, which will give you time to set up the rocket. Remember, it takes two minutes to set up and you only have five minutes to use it or it will explode in your hand." Raven says.

"What is a rocket? Tell me you don't plan on hunting a Pauna by yourself?" Anya asks.

"The rocket is like a small missile, it attaches to a handgun. I think we should split into two groups. We track the Pauna and then we kill it. We have two of the rockets. I can lead one team and Raven the other." I say.

"I take it you know what a Pauna is? Usually when we have to hunt them, groups have no less than twenty warriors and still some don't make it back. Are you sure this will work?" Lexa asks.

"I trust Raven and her inventions. If she says it will work, then it will. We shouldn't have more than a few warriors with us, though. I am thinking about four or five of us in each group. We only need two groups. She will be in one of two places, close to where your warriors led her or close to her feeding grounds. Raven and Anya's group can start where she was led to earlier." I say.

"I guess that leaves us to her feeding grounds. Anya form the two groups, we leave in ten minutes. If it doesn't work, your job is to get Raven out of there." Lexa says.

They leave the tent and we get ready. I put my pack on and strap my pistol to my thigh. After adding my knives and a sword I turn to Lexa, seeing that she is ready, I say, "We can talk more after we take care of the Pauna."

"Yes, we need to talk more. One question, last time, we survived the Pauna, right?" Lexa says.

"We survived, with very minor injuries. I hope to have even less this time." 

We walk out of the tent and head for the gates. "I think we should take horses for part of the way, then set them free when we start to see Pauna's tracks." I tell them.

I notice that each group only has four horses. Lexa climbs on the back of hers, "Leaders usually don't ride with anyone else. For now you will have to ride with me." Lexa says.

I reach up and grasp her hand, sliding in right behind her. Last time Lexa gave me my own horse and Ryder showed me how to ride. I have never ridden with someone else. I wrap my arms around her waist and we take off. Raven's group going in the opposite direction. Using hand signals I take them about halfway to the feeding grounds. 

We all hopped down and hit the back of our horses hinds, sending them back to Ton Dc. "Heda, we should have the others wait here, the place we have to trap the Pauna doesn't have enough room to hold all of us. I can go alone and you and the others can follow as soon as they hear the Pauna." I tell her.

"That is not going to happen. You won't face the Pauna alone. We will all be lucky to come out of this with our lives. Nix, Kris, you stay here. As soon as you hear the Pauna's screams you follow behind us. Darius, come with us." Lexa says.

We head towards the feeding grounds. When we are almost there I take my knife out, cutting a small slice in my palm, I start smearing the blood on the trees. As we come to the sewer tunnels, I motion for them to follow me. With the wind direction and speed it shouldn't take long for her to show up. "Are you sure about this Clarke?" Lexa asks.

"Yes, we need to climb up, to that ledge there, and fast." I say, just as we can hear the Pauna crashing through the trees. 

I look around, and say, "There, we will have to jump as soon as I give the order." 

"That's a twelve foot drop, Clarke." Lexa says

"I know, put your swords away, you know they won't help. They will just get in the way. We will make the drop." 

I pull out my pistol just as the Pauna comes up over the wall. I empty about half of the clip before he falls, "Jump now, head for the tunnel on the right. I am right with you."

Darius jumps first landing with a loud this. Lexa jumps and cries out. I take one more look to see the Pauna climbing back up the wall, before I jump myself. Darius is almost to the tunnel, while Lexa is just getting up. I help her and yell, "Run, we have to make it to the tunnel."

I help her there, where she pushes me in the cage. Just as she is trying to close the door the Pauna grabs her foot. She is barely hanging on, just like last time. I pull my gun back up and empty the rest of my clip into the Pauna's face. Thankfully it causes him to let go of Lexa again.

I pull Lexa in and quickly turn to Darius, "I need your sword. The door won't hold long."

After latching the door, I turn to Lexa, already tearing my shirt into strips. "Let me fix that arm for you. Seems like you don't know how to land. You dislocated your shoulder last time as well."

"How long till the Pauna breaks in?" Lexa asks.

"I don't know, last time we let him in, trapping him. As soon as I have the rocket ready, we will do the same. You and Darius will jump out of the door, while I shoot her with the rocket. I will jump out fast while you both close the door. It should take her about ten to twelve minutes to bleed out."

"Where are you going to aim? The thickest part of her body is the chest and the skull." Lexa asks.

"The neck, a gorilla shares part of the same body parts as a human. Hit the neck on a human and it takes about six minutes to bleed out. With the size of the Pauna, it will take just a bit longer."

With the Pauna banging against the door, I work on the rocket. As soon as I finish attaching it to my pistol, I turn to Lexa and say, "Ok, open the door and hide against the wall. We have one shot and five minutes to do it."

Darius and I lean against the wall as Lexa removes Darius's sword before joining us. It only takes a second before she is crashing through the door. I wait till they are outside, before stepping in the doorway myself. Pauna hits the back wall of the cage, taking a moment to get back up. 

I take a step back, taking careful aim, just waiting till she is about five feet away. I pull the trigger and the rocket goes off, hitting her right in the side of the neck. I wasn't counting on the kickback from it all, before I know it, I am flying backwards into the cage door and everything goes black.

Lexa's POV

The blast from the rocket is deafening and I see Clarke fly into the door. Darius makes it to her first, picking her up and turning. The Pauna manages to take a swipe at his back, flinging him and Clarke behind me. The Pauna falls to the ground in front of the door and I close and latch it. 

I rush over to them, and notice that Pauna's hand went all the way through, shredding Darius's back. There is no saving him.

I pull him off Clarke and try to find any wounds as she isn't waking up. She has a nasty gash on the back of her head. I quickly tear a strip from my sash and wrap it around her head, just hoping it will stop the bleeding. She has a few other scrapes and bruises but nothing serious. It's the wound on her head that worries me. 

Somehow I have to get her out of here, we can't stay. I have to get her back to Ton Dc. I search her bag and find a rope. Carrying her to the place where we jumped, I tie the rope just under her arms. After climbing up myself I gently pull her up the side of the wall. 

It takes a while but I manage to get her through the tunnels. I carry her as far as I can before my legs give out. On the way, I saw Nix and Kris, Pauna got them. Knowing that I can't go on anymore tonight, I set up a campfire and pull out my water jug. I try and get Clarke to swallow some water before I take a drink myself. 

This plan was so reckless, I don't even know why I agreed to it. I don't know how to help her. As the wind picks up I pull her closer to me, gently placing her between my legs, in order to keep her warm, drifting off to sleep myself.

The dreams find me fast. I am in my bed in Polis, Clarke is there with me, as I lean over her, smiling as I kiss her. I wake up in a jolt, still feeling her warm lips on my own. "I need you to wake up, Clarke. I can't do this on my own, I need you. I don't need time, I know. You were right, Clarke. Life is about more than just surviving."

I just don't understand why she won't wake up. It's probably just a few hours till the sun rises when I hear the horses. I gently lay Clarke back down and pull my sword out. Indra and Anya come through the woods and I withdraw my sword. Anya looks at me and says, "I am so glad we found you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this chapter. In the show, we didn't get to know much about everyone. It came in bits and pieces and was never enough. Here we can change that. Also, I enjoy throwing a bit of action in every chapter.
> 
> I hope you enjoy and aren't mad at me. 
> 
> I want to say thanks again to my friend Lockie, whose help has been awesome.


	6. Chapter 6 "Revelations of the Flame."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke wakes up. There us a releasing ceremony for Lexa's guards. Plans are made and something interesting happens with the Flames.

Chapter 6 "Revelations of the flame"

Lexa's POV

Clarke still hasn't woken up, it's been almost two days now. I keep wondering what happens if she doesn't wake up. I keep forcing water down her throat, just hoping some gets in her. I don't know what else to do. Nyko says that some people never wake up from a head injury like Clarke's.

Raven told me only one person would know what to do. I have sent her to the dropship with Anya. Raven said the radios that they carry can't contact the Ark, but the dropship has a radio with that range. Hopefully she can learn what we need to know to help Clarke by talking to her mom.

I grab a rag from the bowl of water next to the bed and clean Clarke's face. When I finish I reach up and pull the hair out of her eyes, "Come on Clarke, it's time to wake up. You didn't come all this way for things to end like this."

Anya and Raven come in at this time and I ask, "What did Clarke's mom say? Will she be alright, Raven?"

Raven looks at me and says, "Abby says that some concussions can be really bad. She says she has had it take four or five days for many people to wake up from something like this. A few never wake up. Though with Clarke having nightblood and the flame, she should heal faster than most. When she wakes up, she should take it easy for a few days, maybe even a week."

"So that means she should wake up on her own and soon?" I ask.

"That's what Abby says and I have never known her to be wrong, at least when it has anything to do with medicine and injuries." Raven says.

"Is Clarke always like this? Does she always jump into danger?" I ask Raven.

"Clarke will do just about anything to help people, especially those she really cares about. She was never going to let the Pauna live, just to hurt and kill other people. If she could, she would save everyone, unless they were dangerous to others. How many people had this Pauna killed?" Raven asks.

"The Pauna has killed more people than we can count and those are just the ones we know about." I say.

"Clarke tries to do things more safely most of the time, but sometimes she doesn't see any other options. The Pauna hurt a child and that is something Clarke will do anything to try and prevent from happening again." Raven says.

"Sounds like someone else I know. She will do anything to protect her people, especially any children. It doesn't matter if it puts herself in danger." Anya says, while pointing at me.

"So there hasn't been any change yet? Abby said that with Clarke her dreams would more than likely be really bad not long before she wakes up. There was a small accident on the Ark last year, one of the cryopods malfunctioned. The room filled with radiation, almost thirty times the amount a human can withstand before death. Clarke insisted on going in and saving the child in the pod, if it was possible." Raven says.

"The only reason she was able to is because of the nightblood. However, it made her sick for a few days. Half of that she wouldn't wake up. It's like her body was repairing itself. A few hours before she did wake up, her nightmares started up. They had been getting much better, but this was like the ones she had for months after Madi died. They were really bad. She would wake up in a panic attack, just screaming. I mean I get it, Madi's death was brutal and what happened afterwards was even worse." Raven says.

"I don't know what a cryopod is. What happened to the child she went in to save? What happened with Madi's death?" I ask.

"I will have to show you what a cryopod is. Abby was just barely able to save the child. It wasn't easy and it took months for her to recover. As for Madi's death and what came after, Clarke will have to tell you. I just thought she might have already done so. I only even said anything because the dreams will probably be bad again. The whole village will hear it. How will the Trikru take it? Will they see her as weak?" Raven asks.

"Most warriors have night terrors at some point. It is said that the stronger the terrors are the stronger the person. It is like war cry, the fiercest warrior has the loudest cry. Eventually they almost always get easier. She will in no way be considered as weak. Even without the terrors, everyone in Ton Dc has seen her strength." Anya says. 

"Anya is right, no one will ever think of Clarke as weak. She single handedly killed a Pauna. That is a feat not many have accomplished. So, Clarke should wake up soon?" I ask Raven.

"Yes, but she should probably have someone with her when she does. I can stay with her tonight, it's no big deal." Raven says.

"That won't be necessary, Clarke will stay here till she has recovered." I say.

"So you know how to handle someone when they wake up from a nightmare? The screams and the panic attacks when they wake up? Clarke usually doesn't like many people around, when it happens." Raven asks.

I go silent at that and Anya says, "Heda will be fine. She knows how to help someone with the strongest of night terrors."

"We will leave you to it then." Raven says.

"I will let everyone know that you are not to be disturbed, Heda." Anya says as they walk out of the tent.

I turn back to Clarke, I hope Clarke's mom is right and she wakes up soon. There is so much that we have to talk about. My dreams and feelings can wait. Indra says that only Clarke can really take the mountain. Clarke needs help to get there, but once she is there, she doesn't need the help. 

I am having a hard time with that. I don't know that, if the mountain men offer me a deal, if I can take it this time. She says that none of that matters, but it matters to me. There has to be another way, I will talk to the others about it.

Reaching over I take her hand and say, "We have to talk, Clarke. I need you to wake up. I am remembering more and more everyday. I don't want to talk to anyone else about my dreams. So you have to wake up. Puting the dreams aside, I have never met anyone like you."

I pull her hand up and kiss her fingertips before continuing, not even knowing if she can hear me or not, "You are so brave, so very strong. You are special, Clarke. For two years I have dreamed about you, but nothing could have prepared me for actually meeting you. In just a few days, you have turned my entire world upside down."

"I know I loved you before. I don't know what I feel now, but it is strong. I so want to figure that out. So you have to wake up. You have to help me, to make sense of it all. We have so much to do and I am not sure I can do it without you. So please, just wake up."

I take off my shoulder guard and armour and lay down next to her, making sure I don't encroach her space too much. I lay on my side and just held onto her hand. I know I need sleep but, I just don't know if I can. I know what Raven said and if she is right, I want to be here for Clarke, night terrors and all.

It isn't long before I fall asleep myself, it has been a long two days. Somewhere during the middle of the night I am woken up by a punch in the gut. I look over to see Clarke thrashing in the bed, her fists clenched tight. She is clenching them so tight blood has started to drip onto the bed.

I get up and grab a couple of Rags from the table. I gently start with one hand, slowly opening her fists, just enough to slide in the rag. I move onto the other, repeating the same steps. I start slowly rubbing circles on her back, "It's ok, Clarke. You're safe."

I keep rubbing her back and repeating the same thing for about ten minutes. Finally I feel her whole body tense up as she bolts straight up in the bed screaming. It takes her a moment, she closes her eyes, breaths calming down with each second.

Gradually she opens her beautiful blue eyes, "What happened?" She asks.

I look at her and say, "You don't remember fighting the Pauna?"

"I remember shooting her in the neck, but that's about it." Clarke says.

"You hit your head on the door. Darius got you to safety and I closed the door. Pauna got him before I could close it. It took some time, but I got you to safety, where Anya and Indra found us. It's been two days since then." I tell her.

I know we should talk about her night terrors, but I feel like this isn't the time. "What about Nix and Kris, did they make it?" She asks.

"They did not, I saw them on our way out. They never had a chance." I tell her.

With one tear falling down her face she asks, "Have you released their spirits yet?"

I grab her hand and say, "No, we were waiting for you. Raven said you would be upset if you weren't there. We brought Pauna back and split her meat between both camps. When you didn't wake up, I had Raven contact your mom. We wanted to see if there was more we could do to help you." 

I don't want her to find out about Raven talking to her mom later. "Mom and dad are going to be worried about me until I can contact them and tell them that I am ok. I should go back to camp and talk to them. I need to before they come down." Clarke says.

"Raven said that your mom told her that you should rest some, after you wake up. We should have the ceremony today and tomorrow you can check on camp and talk to the people on the Ark." I say.

"That sounds about right. The generals and the army should all be here the day after the Ark comes down. I really shouldn't have been gone this long. I still have to bring Dax here, he deserves his punishment for giving Finn the gun. I do have one request though." She says.

"There isn't much I can do about his punishment. His goal was to kill me and there is only one punishment for that. What is your request?" I ask her. 

"I have been thinking about this, I will not ask to change his punishment. Even if the crime was not against you, I still would have executed him. However, I ask to have not only the first cut but the last as well. I made it clear to him and everyone else that if someone harmed your people and it wasn't self-defense, then I would kill them myself." She says.

I wasn't really expecting that, but it makes sense. "Your request is granted. Is there anything else?"

"I want to have Raven broadcast it to the dropship. It's like the radio, but with pictures. I want to send a message to everyone that if they try anything else again, their punishment will be the same. I am not expecting anything else to happen, but I want to make sure." She says.

"That can be arranged. Both requests will only confirm where your loyalties lie. The Trikru will respect you even more. Anything else?" I ask.

"Maybe some breakfast, I know it's a bit early, but I feel like I haven't eaten in a week." She says.

"That can definitely be arranged, give me a few minutes and I will see that it is done, as well as having the ceremony set up." I say.

I squeeze her hand and walk out the tent. As soon as I am out of the tent I take a deep breath and swallow. I am so relieved that she is finally awake. It looks like Indra is already up, I walk up to her and say, "I guess the whole camp knows that Clarke is awake?" I ask her.

"Sha, everyone heard her screaming. I had to stop Nyko and a few guards from bursting in your tent. I have been there when she has woken up from night terrors. How is she?" Indra says.

"She is ok, she needs rest today, but she is ok." I tell her.

"It is true that when I first met Clarke that I wanted to kill her, with so many of our people dead. However, as I have grown to know her, I have witnessed a strength in her that I have only ever seen in you. At one time, I thought that her heart was weak, but it is anything but that. She has the spirit of the Trikru, even though she has come from the sky." Indra says.

"Indra, I have never met anyone like her before. She runs straight into danger blindly, without fearing what could happen. I have never been so drawn to anyone as her, and it is not just the dreams either. I fear losing her, more than I have with anyone else, ever." I say.

"In the other time, I refused to believe it. I saw it with Octavia and Lincoln as well, I see it now with Raven and Anya, but it is also true with you and Clarke, even though it is very rare with our people." Indra says.

"What is it Indra, what are you saying?" I ask her.

"Your spirit calls out to Clarke's spirit, they are two halves of a whole. Like I said I didn't want to believe it back then, but there is no other thing that it could be. You could both survive without the other, but you could never truly live. Anything that you have together can never be considered a weakness. Separately, you are both strong, but together you are both stronger." Indra says. 

"Osir Keryon ste teina, is a myth Indra, a legend." I say.

"It is not, it is rare, but it is not just a legend, it is real. How we have so many people with their spirits calling out to each other at this time, is beyond me. I don't question these things. I have seen and done many things in this world and the other we lived on, I don't question as much as I used to, I just let it be." Indra says.

"I don't know if I can afford to believe, as Heda. I don't know how I feel about Clarke right now. There are feelings there that I just can't explain." I say.

"Take your time, Heda. You can't stop what is meant to be. Also, I know that Titus has always told you that love is weakness and to be commander is to be alone. He has always been wrong. Love is our greatest strength, and a commander should never have to live life alone. It took a lot to make me believe that. I learned that with Clarke and Madi. You will figure it out too, you're smarter than I ever was." Indra says.

"I know I have feelings for her, that I won't deny, what exactly those feelings entail will take time." I say.

"I am not sure it will take very long, Heda." Indra says.

I need time to think about all this. After a moment I say, "I need you to get the ceremony set up for those that we lost, and send someone to my tent with breakfast, please." I say.

"Sha, Heda, it will be done." Indra says and I head back to my tent.

Clarke's POV 

I feel like the Rover hit me, hurting from every inch of my body, but I have to get up soon. I can't show any weakness to the clans. I know my body needs more time, but time isn't something we have a lot of. 

Lexa said that Darius died saving me, that is not something that I wanted. It so could have been Lexa though and I am not sure if I could have lived with that a second time. I can't believe Lexa carried me out of there, especially being injured herself. 

Slowly I swing my legs over the side of the bed, standing up, my legs buckle underneath me, but it is at that time that Lexa enters the tent. Catching me before I fall, she says, "You shouldn't be up, not at least until you eat something. It's been two days where you only had a bit of water." 

Sitting back down on the bed I say, "I just have to be doing something." 

"Everything is being taken care of. Breakfast will be here soon. Then we will have the ceremony. It would probably be a good idea to talk more about your people coming down." Lexa says.

"Ok, but there is one other thing I need before the ceremony." I say.

"What might that be? If you need more rest I can leave you to it? If that is what you want?" She asks.

"No, I think that I am fully rested for now. I was thinking, I have been on the ground for five days now and I haven't had a chance to clean up. Is there somewhere that I can bathe, Heda?" I ask her.

Lexa looks at me and says, "I am sorry, I have been a poor host. I will have a bath brought in. There is a public bath house but leaders never use it. I can make sure that you aren't disturbed. Oh, and you don't ever have to call me Heda."

I look at her for a moment and finally ask, "Isn't that a sign of disrespect among the clans? I wouldn't want to offend someone." 

"It can be, for most people, but not for you. There are a few that only call me Heda in public. You are Skyheda, that gives you more freedom to speak more informally than most. Anya and Indra sometimes call me by name." Lexa says. 

"Okay, Lexa, bringing in the bath will work, I actually haven't had a bath in years. We only have showers on the Ark. We have a swimming pool that I made sure was filled with water, in order to teach the 100 how to swim, but we didn't have it filled for long. It would have been a waste of resources."

"Well you don't have to worry about water shortages here on the ground. I will see to it." Lexa says.

As she is turning around I stop her, grabbing her hand, I say, "Lexa, can you stay with me?"

Lexa swallows and says, "If that is what you want? I can stay."

Looking in her eyes, I say, "I don't mean it like that. I meant maybe you could just sit on the bed, in case I need help. We could also talk about what happens next. We don't exactly have much time, before the Ark comes down and the attack of the mountain."

Lexa smiles and says, "I would be happy to talk more with you Clarke. There is so much to go over, plans as well as other things."

It isn't long before I am in the bath and Lexa is sitting on the bed behind a partition. "Are there any of your people that we have to be worried about?" She asks.

"Most will not cause any problems. We might have to worry about Thelonius Jaha, but more than likely problems with him will not come till much later. We will have to discuss that after the mountain." I tell her.

"What about the man called Charles Pike? Indra told me some about what happened to my warriors. He killed three hundred of them." She says.

"He will be an issue for sure. Right now though, he is needed to keep as many people from the farm station alive. They will be the ones landing in Azgeda. We can send people to retrieve them not long after the mountain." I tell her.

"How are we going to prevent it from happening later?" She asks.

"You're right, it could turn into another Finn situation. When we bring them back to Arcadia they won't have access to the guns, or at least that is the plan. We have set things up this time to where he can not be voted in as Chancellor. The only way for someone else to become Chancellor is for the current one to die. In that case, there is still no vote. It goes down the line of council members first." I say.

"What happens if he takes out all the council members and your dad, at one time?"

"I don't have plans for all the council members to ever be in one place. Some will be in Arcadia, others at our camp, I might even bring a few here as well. However, I have my spies that are with the farm station, as well as in every camp and drop ship. I will hear if he is planning anything and I will take him out myself. I will not have that massacre repeat, just like I did with Finn." I tell her.

I am just getting out of the bath when it hits, my legs give out from under me. I hear her come into the room and can hear her talking, but I am somewhere else. It's a memory or a flashback, or something. I don't know. 

It's not my memory, whatever it is. It has to be Lexa's, I can feel her emotions. The tears that she is holding back. We are at the mountain, "I made this decision with my head and not my heart." I say.

Finally I snap out of it and let her help me up, "Are you ok, Clarke?" She asks.

She guides me to the bed and after a minute I say, "I am fine, but that was weird."

She helps me with my clothes, the whole time trying not to look at me. "What happened? What was weird?" She asks.

I take a deep breath, just hoping that she doesn't think I have lost my mind, "I had some kind of flashback, a memory. Thing is it wasn't mine. It was so real, I remember it from my side of things, but it was like I could feel everything you were feeling at that moment." 

"What memory was it?" She asks.

"It was your memory of the mountain, when you took Emerson's deal. I could feel everything that you felt in that moment. How is this possible?" I ask.

"We call them commander's dreams. It is the memories of the previous commanders. It seems like my flame is sending your flame my memories. They started with me a few days after I received the flame. They are usually either warnings or a plan to beat a certain enemy, based on another commander's wars." Lexa says.

"So the same thing is happening to me now. Is there a way to control when they come?" I ask.

"Usually they come when I am sleeping or meditating now. Now sometimes they come at other times. There is no way to control them, but as you get used to them they won't affect you this way. You can be in a fight and it happens. It usually shows you how to defeat your opponent. It can be quite helpful, once you get used to them." She says.

"How long did it take you to get used to them? We are kind of limited on time." I ask her.

"It depends on the commander. Titus told me that it took almost a year for one commander to get used to them." She says.

"We don't have time to wait years. How long did it take you?" I ask.

"It is said that the strongest of commanders only a few weeks. It took me about four days. You are strong, I have seen it. I have no doubt that you will be used to them before we attack the mountain. It's the actual dreams that even I have never gotten used to." Lexa says.

"I can deal with it happening in my sleep, just not while I am awake. I have to be alert most of the time." I say.

"Actually, I was thinking of the mountain when this one happened. I talked to Indra earlier about it. I told her I wouldn't make that deal again. I am not sure I could survive it." Lexa says.

"Did you come up with another plan for that? Though I already told you, if you have to it will be ok." I say.

"Indra came up with it actually. As a precaution, we have decided that few can know about it. It has to be believable. I have to make it seem like I am taking the deal." Lexa says.

"How is that going to work?" I ask.

"I call the retreat and as soon as my people are safe, half of us double back and meet you as you are entering the tunnels." She says.

"We could make that work, Indra always has good ideas. We should listen to her more often." I say. 

Anya and Raven walk in at this time and Anya says, "Everything is ready for the ceremony."

Raven looks at me and says, "You look better. I knew you would be ok. However, the commander was really worried."

I shoot Raven a look and she just smiles as Lexa says, "Of course I was worried. Clarke is the only one that knows everything that we need to do, in order to save the world."

"I am not sure she was worried about just your plans, but anyways it's time to start." Anya says, rushing Raven out of the tent.

I squeeze her hand and say, "I would have been just as worried about you, if you were not waking up."

I quickly put on my armour as Lexa fixes her warpaint. "Would you like me to fix your warpaint, Clarke? I remember the ceremony, where you became the 13th clan. Your paint was beautiful." She asks.

"Please do, I am getting tired and I have a splitting headache." I say.

As she starts my paint she says, "We don't have to stay for the whole ceremony, if you are too tired."

"No, I will stay for the whole thing. Can I say the traveler's blessing?" I ask.

"Not all the people speak English, most do, but not all. Can you say it in Trigedasleng? Or would you like me to translate for the people?" She asks.

"I can say it in your language. Octavia and I actually taught the 100 and a few others your language. I actually think it sounds better in Trigedasleng." I tell her.

Lexa turns her head and says, "Usually when someone dies saving another, the person saved speaks something about them. As you really didn't know them I wasn't going to have you do it, but I am glad you are."

"I have been to only two releasing ceremonies and one I didn't understand at the time and the other I hope to never repeat." I say as we walk out the tent.

Lexa leads me to the middle of the camp where everyone is already gathered. "People of Ton Dc, today we lay to rest these three brave warriors. The Pauna that they helped protect all of us from will never harm anyone again. Darius kom Trikru, went one step further, he not caring about his own life he used his body as a shield. Which saved the life of Clarke kom Skaikru. If we had lost her, we would have all been doomed. Clarke has a few words from her people to say. Clarke." Lexa says.

I turn to the crowd and say, "The Pauna is no more. Our people call this the traveler's blessing. Kom chilnes yu nau ban sishou-de, kom hodnes yu na hon neson op. Gouthru klir hasta yu soujon, kom taim oso fali kom daun graun-de. Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim. Kom graun, Oso na groun op. Mom folau, Oso na gyon op." 

Indra hands Lexa the torch and she passes off to me, "Clarke, the honour is all yours."

I light the pyre and say, "Yu gonplei ste odon."

Indra takes the torch back and tosses it on the fire. "That was beautiful, Clarke. Thank you. I was once Darius's 2nd." Anya says. 

Before I can reply, I am lost in a memory, grabbing onto Lexa's arm, I somehow manage to stay upright. "I lost some once." I say.

I am in the middle of another one of Lexa's memories. She is trying to comfort me after Finn's death, though it was hard for her to bring up Costia's memory. I never knew just how hard it was until now. "I am sorry, Clarke. We can go now, if you need to." Lexa says. 

I shake my head and say, "No, I am fine. We will stay."

Raven looks over and asks, "What's wrong? What was that?"

"It's nothing Raven, just Lexa's flame talking to mine, sending me her memories." I say.

"No way, do we need to remove it? I can run more tests on it." She asks.

"We don't have to remove it, it happens to all commanders. It will pass." Lexa says.

As the flames die down I realize that I am still holding onto Lexa's arm. As I remove my hand I find myself missing her warmth. We walk back to the tent and the others follow. We walk in the tent and sit down. 

It isn't long before one of Lexa's guards brings dinner in. After he places everyone's food on the table, he turns to Lexa and says, "We got a message from one of the people of Beri."

"What is the message?" She asks him.

"It seems most got out of Beri safely,but there were a few that refused to leave." He tells her.

Lexa slams her hands on the table before shaking her head and asking him, "Who? How many? Why?"

"It seems that Flint has convinced them that they can fight it." He tells her.

"We don't have time to retrieve them. Whatever happens, happens. They were warned. Gon we." Lexa says.

I look at Lexa and ask, "Why wouldn't they leave? They will die, the dropships have already left the Ark. We can't remotely change their course and even if we could, there is nowhere else to send them."

"They wouldn't leave because of the leader of that village, Flint. His brother will want revenge." Lexa says.

Raven looks at Lexa and asks, "Who is his brother?"

Lexa glances at me, swallows and says, "His name is Quint. He tried to kill Clarke last time. He wanted revenge for the death of his brother at the dropship. He is a general and will be here the day after your people come down."

"Oh shit, what are we going to do?" Raven asks.

"We aren't going to do anything. The moment he gets out of hand I will handle it." Lexa says.

"No, there are some battles I have to handle for myself. Let him challenge me." I tell them.

"Clarke, you can't fight him. He trained from the age of four. He will kill you. I remember last time." Lexa says.

"I am not the same person that I was then. You have never seen me fight." I say.

"No I haven't and I don't want the first time to be a fight to the death." She says.

I look over at Anya and say, "Tomorrow, you and I will train together, no holding back."

"We should talk about this more. You just woke up today. You should be resting, not training or thinking about a fight." Lexa says.

"I trained with Madi for six years, then I trained with Echo kom Azgeda and Indra for over a year. Then we continued training on the Ark for two years. We don't have time for me to rest." I yell, I am so frustrated. 

"We can discuss this later. I wanted to talk to the others about Indra's Plan for the mountain, as well as how we are going to get in contact with your people when they come down." Lexa says.

I look at the others and say, "Indra has a plan for the mountain, that I think is great."

"Last time Heda took a deal to save our people, betraying Skaikru. Many Skaikru had a hard time trusting us after that. There is a way to take the deal, saving our people, without betraying Skaikru." Indra says. 

"What is this plan, Indra?" Raven asks.

"We make Emerson think that we have taken the deal. As soon as our people are safely away from the mountain, we come back, joining Skaikru in the tunnels. It will be the last thing that those in the mountain expect." Indra says.

Raven nods her head and says, "I can definitely work with that. I can hack into the mountain's security cameras. Any footage that they have will be on a loop. They won't know what hit them when we come in."

"Also, we can hide the extra oxygen in the woods, the warriors coming back can bring it with them." I tell them.

Anya looks up and asks, "Why would we need oxygen?"

"There are people in the mountain that are allies. There are also children there. Last time I had to kill them all, to save my people. This time I hope to avoid that. They know technology, they will be a help to us eventually, to stop the second Praimfaya." I tell her.

"So our people receive no justice for their crimes against us for years?" Anya asks.

"We won't spare most of them, just the children and those that help us. There are 384 people inside the mountain. Twenty-six are children. Thirty-two people helped us last time. There are twenty-nine others that we will take prisoner, they are the ones most skilled. That leaves 296 people that will die. Your people will have justice. Emerson is mine though." I tell them.

"I see your point. We don't have to kill them all, just most of them." Anya says.

"So how do we go about retrieving your people." Indra says.

"Out of everyone on the ground already, you and Monty know the most about the cryopods, I am sending Monty to dropship three. It should be the easiest to get to. He will then lead the people there to Arcadia. I expect there to be a bit more damage to the one that landed near Hemli, so I want you to head there with Anya. You might have to get everyone out pretty fast. I need you to take everyone there to our camp." I tell Raven. 

Turning to Indra, I say, "I was hoping you could check on my mom and Marcus. I know they will try and radio us immediately, but I want someone there. You know the way and you will also be a familiar face."

"What about the shuttle?" Raven asks.

"I planned on sending Octavia and Lincoln to lead him to Arcadia. I will join you all there a few days afterwards. We will have a meeting about the missile then, since we need Marcus for that plan." I say.

"Ok, now that we have all that set. I want to talk more about the flames and them communicating with each other." Raven says.

"I was actually hoping that you could shed some light on that, Raven." I say. 

Raven just sits there for a moment, before asking, "I know a lot about the flames. I studied the one on the Ark for quite a while. We wanted to be able to kill Sheidheda."

Anya hisses at the name of Sheiheda. Raven looks at Anya a minute and continues, "This however is new. Back on the Ark I knew the flame on the Ark was talking to Heda's flame. This is interesting. So if I have this correctly. Lexa has been having dreams of Clarke, some are her own memories and the others are Clarke's, and vice versa."

"That seems about right. It is usually a memory of an event that the two of us shared. It's like feeling everything the other did in that moment. What does this mean? Is this something that can help us?" I ask Raven.

"Some of this was covered in Becca's notes but I really didn't understand it, not till now. This, this right here is why we needed two flames. The potential is amazeballs, out of this world. I can't wait to see more of it." Raven says.

I squeeze Raven's shoulder and say, "Raven, snap out of it. Tell us what this means."

"Sorry, I got off track. This is just so cool. The flames not only carry memories but also the emotions that come from those memories. Eventually, the flames will not only send and receive memories, they will actually be able to talk to each other, from great distances. There will never be a need for a radio from the two of you." Raven says.

"So will this be like full conversations, or like we can just tell when the other is in danger?" I ask.

"Everything you just said and so much more. If either of you is infected by Sheidheda, I don't actually have to do anything. No removing the flame from your head, nothing. The other will be able to kill him, whether it be with just thought or a death match, played out only in your mind. This also means that you can access the City of Light without taking Allie's chip. You both just have to figure out how things work." Raven says.

Lexa looks at me for a moment, shakes her head and says, "I don't quite understand how our flames can actually talk to each other. I get the dreams, I have had them since the flame was put in me. How does it work?"

"I would have to actually have the flame in me to know how it works. However, I have some guesses. I think the closer you two become, the more in-sync your flames become. In other words, the more your souls connect, the more your flames connect, eventually becoming one soul and flame." Raven says.

"Your talking soulmates, Raven. I don't know about all that." I say.

Lexa gasps and glances at Indra, "Osir Keryon ste teina. I never believed in that before, but now I am not so sure."

"I have seen it, between many of our people and the Skaikru. It's like our people's Keryon's were separated, they were stuck in the sky. When they came down, they were reunited." Indra says.

I look at Lexa and ask, "I have never heard the words you spoke, what do they mean?"

"Osir Keryon ste teina, means our souls are entwined. It has been a legend of our people, since before anyone can remember." Lexa says.

"This actually explains a lot. I am a woman of Science and Technology, but you can't deny that something else is going on here. So many of our people fall in love with what should be the enemy, they are drawn to each other like a mechanic is to her machines. If they lose said person, they are never the same. Some don't even survive it." Raven says.

"I just can't wrap my head around it, souls entwining, the flames becoming one." I say.

"You will, over time." Raven says.

"What if we take my flame out, as soon as we defeat Allie?" I ask.

"I am not sure we will be able to, now that they are talking to each other like this. It could kill one or both of you. I would prefer not to risk it. You are my leader, Clarke, but you are also like a sister to me. If you order me to remove the flame, I won't do it. It will be one order I will never comply with. I will also try to stop anyone that attempts it." Raven says.

"I am not going to order you to remove it. It was just a hypothetical question. What would happen if we did remove it? That's all I meant." I say.

"Good, because I don't want to get on your bad side, by refusing." Raven says.

"Ok, I think we need to call it a night. My head is killing me after all this." I say.

Everyone says goodnight and leaves the tent. I move to the side table grabbing a rag and dipping it into the water, before I can finish my task, Lexa puts her hand on top of mine and says, "Let me, please."

I drop the rag and Lexa takes it, wringing out all the water. As she cleans the paint from my face she says, "I know we haven't really known each other long, but I feel that we have been in each other's lives forever. There is so much I want to know about you. I feel things that I never thought were possible."

She puts the rag back in the water and wrings it out again, moving to my hands and cleaning those as well. "I fear losing you before I have the chance to learn those things. I already know that would be a loss that I may never recover from."

She quickly cleans her face and turns to me and I say, "You are talking about Quint."

"It's not just Quint. When you hit that door, after shooting the Pauna, my stomach dropped. I thought you were gone. I never want to feel that way again. Quint is just a part of it." Lexa says.

"Fighting Quint will serve two purposes. One we get rid of an enemy, that we will never be able to trust, and two, if he challenges me and I don't fight, then the clans will forever perceive me as weak. That will cause both of us to become targets. I can't allow that. This is something that I have to do, and you have to let me." I say.

She gently puts her hand on my cheek and says, "Your right, I don't like it, but everything you said is true. Just be careful, Quint fights dirty and I can't lose you." 

We lean into each other, her lips just barely brushing mine. We pull back a bit, our foreheads touching as she just holds me, "I can't lose you, Clarke."

"I will fight, but I will be careful. We have so much to do and I have no plans to leave you, to fight alone." I say.

She gently leads me to the bed and lays me down. As she lays down herself she pulls me flush against her back. "I won't stop you from fighting, just don't leave me."

"I won't leave you. I will always be with you." I tell her.

We just lay there for a while, until finally sleep finds us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was hard to write. My mind was on so me many other things at the time. All is good though. 
> 
> A few surprises coming in the next few chapters. We will see the POV of two other characters. I know everyone is dying to see a fight to the death and it's coming. We are in for a bit of a ride. 
> 
> As always thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> And a special thanks for my friend, Lockie. I couldn't do this without you.


	7. Chapter 7 "Ai laik Skaiheda, Non na throu daun gon ai."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke is challenged to a fight to the death. Raven and Anya are taken by the mountain men, yet it seems like they weren't the only ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had lots of fun writing this. I do have to warn you. They is lots of violence in this chapter.
> 
> Anyways I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think. 
> 
> Also, again thanks to my friend Lockie, whose help has been awesome.

Chapter 7 "Ai laik Skaiheda, Non na throu daun gon ai."

3 days later

Clarke's POV

The Ark came down yesterday, I briefly talked to mom and Marcus. Mom was trying not to show how worried she was for me, but I could see it in her eyes. I didn't tell them what we expect to happen later today. That would only make her worry even more. 

Raven and Anya found the dropship, there was some damage, but everyone made it, so that's what really matters. She is leading them all to our damp, they should arrive there before dark tonight. Monty already has made it to Arcadia with his group, they are also all alive. We still haven't heard from Indra yet, but we should by tomorrow.

Lexa has hardly left my side today as we are waiting for Quint and the other generals. Gustus joined us last night, from Polis, he is all caught up. I still don't think he trusts me, but I will just have to wait and see. I hope he doesn't betray Lexa this time. It will be just as hard on her as it was last time. 

Lexa is standing near the training grounds with Gustus, while I just finished a conversation with Nyko. I raise my head up as there is a commotion on the other side of the tents. I see him over by the tents, but it is already too late. I have just enough time to throw my hand up, stopping the arrow from piercing my heart.

The blow sent me to my knees, but I am quick to get back up. Quint pulls out his knife as he makes his way over to me. He doesn't make it before Lexa is in front of him, blocking his path. Grabbing his hand, twisting it until he drops the knife, "What is the meaning of this, Quint?"

"Heda, her people killed my brother, burned him alive with her ships." Quint says.

By this time Nyko has pulled out the arrow and wrapped a bandage around the wound. I walk over to them and say, "Your brother should have heeded our warnings and left with the rest of the people from your village. Our ship could have landed there or in Polis. It was his choice." 

"Your people come down, invade our land, kill my brother and you want to become our allies? I will never work with you or your people. You are the enemy." Quint sneers.

"We don't have time for this. Either you work with my people or you issue me a challenge." I snarl back at him.

I start to turn around, but before I can he says, "Fine, I challenge you, a fight to the death. You will be the one not standing, when I am finished with you."

I look him straight in the eyes and say, "I accept your challenge, may the best woman win."

Lexa swallows and says, "People of Ton Dc, a challenge has been issued and been accepted. Clear the fighting pit. Clarke kom Skaikru, as you have been the one challenged, you have the right to choose a champion, who do you choose to fight for you." 

I look at her and say, "Ai laik Skaiheda. Non na throu daun gon ai."

Lexa, still twisting Quint's hand, pulls out her dagger and says, "However, seeing as your act of cowardice has injured your opponent, I have no choice but to make things fair. You issued the challenge, you will fight without a champion." 

After jamming it into his hand and twisting it, she whispers so low that I can barely hear her, "Jomp em op en yu Jomp ai op." She twists his hand even harder as she pulls her dagger out.

I make my way over to the pits slowly, pulling my sword out on the way. After Nyko wraps Quint's hand up he does the same. We make our way over to opposite sides of the pit as Lexa stands next to me and addresses the crowd, "There is only one rule of a fight to the death and that is, only one leaves alive."

I have my back to Quint the whole time Lexa is talking. I look straight into her eyes as she says, "Throu daun." 

I am still looking at her when her eyes go wide. I turn just in time to block Quint's attack, the blow jarring my whole body. I back away quickly. He is big but slow. Dancing my right, I notice that he hardly moves his feet, so he is slow and uses brute strength, I can work with that.

Watching his eyes, I anticipate his next move. He fakes to the right, yet his feet move left. His sword manages to barely glance off of my right arm, just slightly drawing first blood. 

"Come on, Quint. My mother can fight better than that. Barely a scratch." I tell him.

He lunges to my right this time, I side step to the left, bringing my sword up just enough to slide into his left calf. Dancing back out of his range, I say, "Oh, too slow."

He rushes me again, I barely have time to spin to the right, just missing his blade. I know I am making him angry, just trying to force him into making the right mistake. I fake a yawn as he comes again. This time I am able to step away enough to catch him on the right side.

Coming up behind him, I elbow him in the back. He grunts and turns around to face me. "I thought you were a strong general, but Pauna put up a much better fight than you."

His whole face turns red, as he rushes me again, with a loud war cry. As he swings his sword at my neck this time, I duck bringing my elbow up, slamming into his sword arm. I hear the crack of bones in his forearm. I sweep my left leg around, kicking the back of his knee. His sword flies a few feet away, and he falls to his knees.

I walk up to him, trying to see if he has any more fight left in him. "I never wanted this for you or Flint. Killing isn't what I want, but I will always do what I have to do."

He looks up at me and says, "Finish it."

I know I should have remembered that Lexa said that he likes to fight dirty, but at that moment it wasn't in my mind, only ending it. I don't see his fist in time, as he brings it up, flinging it open, dirt flying into my mouth and little particles cutting into my eyes. 

He wastes no time knocking my sword away and headbutting me in the stomach, knocking the air out of my lungs. "You talk too much, branwoda."

As I am doubled over he elbows me in the face, breaking my nose in the process. Straddling me he manages to get his arms around my throat. "I will never fight alongside an invader." He says.

Just as I am about to pass out, I turn my eyes to Lexa. Her hand is reaching for her dagger and our eyes lock. I will not leave her to fight alone, I promised her. She removes her hand from her dagger as I bring my knee up as hard as I can. 

He rolls off of me, and I take the opportunity to switch positions. Knowing that I have reached the end of my strength, and I have to end this quickly. Bringing my face down to his neck, I latch my teeth on tightly, tearing a good chunk of flesh in the process, ripping his juggler out, blood spraying across the front of my face and body.

Rolling off of him I spit it out, laying on my back, just gasping for air. I know he won't be able to get back up. Lexa looks at me as Nyko comes over to make sure that I am not in need of healing. He pushes on the side of my nose and pops it back into place.

"The sky people march with us now, anyone who tries to stop that will pay with their life." Lexa yells out.

As Nyko helps me to stand, the crowd cheers, "Skaiheda, Skaiheda, Skaiheda."

I walk over to Lexa and just as I am about to speak, Ryder runs up to us, "I am sorry, Heda, Clarke, but something has happened at Skaiheda's camp."

I close my eyes for a moment, "Let's talk in the war tent." I tell them, my voice croaking a bit.

Lexa hands me her waterskin as we make our way to the tent. I take a drink, swishing it around in my mouth and spitting it out. I drink more than half of it before handing it back to her. As soon as we step in Lexa asks, "Speak true, Ryder. Tell us what has happened."

Ryder turns to me and says, "I don't know how to use your talking Tek, but you asked me to just listen. While you were fighting Quint, miss Raven was talking, reapers and mountain men attacked your camp. She said they were coming through, she said that they were too many with flaygons and that many ran."

I look at Ryder and ask, "Is that all that she said, Ryder?" 

"She said, not to worry, she will figure something out. Then she stopped talking, but I could hear Anya yelling and miss Raven telling her to stand down. Then miss Raven, said something about the bird fleeing the coup with an angry bird in tow and flying away, but I don't know what it means."

As I am thinking, Lexa looks at me and asks, "Do you think that any made it out? We can send riders to check."

"A few riders, to see if they can help the others back to Arcadia. Miller and Murphy would have fought back some, just so he can help the ones that were taken." I tell her.

Gustus looks up and says, "No one escapes the mountain."

I know Lexa told him about the past timeline. I look at him and say, "I did, with Anya last time. Raven knows the plans for the mountain even better than I ever will."

Lexa nods and asks, "What did Raven mean? She said something about the bird fleeing the coup and flying away."

I smile and say, "It means that Raven will find a way to escape. She will get Anya out as well. It will probably take a day or two, but we will hear from them soon."

"You have faith in her?" Lexa asks.

I look at her and say, "Lexa, she is the smartest person I have ever known. Also, I have never known a cage that could hold her. She will wait till the best possible moment and find a way out."

Lexa nods her head again and turns to Ryder and says, "Send a scouting party, ten warriors. Have them search the woods around the camp. Then help them safely to Arcadia before returning. They have two days. Then return here in one hour and we will talk about any further plans."

Bowing his head, he turns to us and says, "Sha, it will be done. Heda, Clarke."

He walks out the tent and Lexa turns to Gustus and says, "Stand guard outside. I need to talk to Clarke alone."

"Lexa, are you sure? Can we trust her?" He asks.

Lexa looks at him, shakes her head and says, "Gustus, I know you mean well. I don't want to have to do what I had to last time. Please, don't do anything that will force my hand again. Get to know her. Clarke is here to help us all. If you can't trust her, then trust me. I am in no danger from her."

I look him in the eye and say, "Ai badan Heda en nau moun. I will not betray her nor will I ever harm her. If I ever do, your blade can release my spirit from my body, without sending me to the next life."

"I will hold you to that vow, Skaiheda." He says and walks out the tent.

As soon as he is gone, Lexa comes over to my side, looking over my body, trying to see if there are any injuries that Nyko might have missed. She takes a rag and dips it in a bowl of water, wringing it out ever so slowly. Gently cleaning my face and neck.

As she lays the rag down, she reaches up to my neck, ever so gently she caresses my neck, a single tear flowing down her cheek. Resting her forehead against mine, she says, "I thought that was the end."

Pulling her closer to me, wrapping my arms around her waist, bringing my lips up to hers. The kiss starts off slow, but doesn't take long before she is running her tongue against my lips, seeking entrance, which I grant. 

Pulling back slightly, she rests her head on mine and says, "It was the longest fight I ever watched. I never want to go through that again."

"I meant it when I said that I wouldn't leave you to fight alone." I say.

"I was ready to stop it, when he got a hold of you. Then you looked at me and I just knew you were not finished." Lexa says.

"It would not have gone well with the people, if you had stopped it. It would have put you in danger. I am glad that you didn't do it." I tell her.

After a moment, Ryder and Gustus walk in and we pull apart, Gustus watching us closely. I have no idea what to make of it. Ryder bows his head and says, "I sent scouts out to the area around the Skai camp. They should reach the camp by tonight. They will rest in the trees and start searching for your people in the morning."

I reach over and grab his hand and say, "Thank you, Ryder."

Lexa looks at me before speaking, "We will postpone the war meeting until tomorrow. It has been a long day and it will be dark soon. We still have a few things to discuss amongst the four of us. Then Clarke will have to get in contact with her people."

Gustus looks at Lexa and says, "I have questions about the Skaikru and about this mission of Skaiheda."

Lexa turns to Gustus and says, "Speak all your concerns, this will be your only chance to question anything."

"Some of the things that she has talked about seem impossible. The second Praimfaya, even more people from space, even a second flame. What if all this is for the Skaiheda to take control of the coalition?" Gustus asks.

"I won't lie to you Gustus. There are many reasons I came back. Yes, I want to help make things better and save many of the lives that were lost. However, to me there are two lives that mean more to me than anyone else's. I don't want to control the coalition. I just want those two to be safe and happy. I also know that Lexa could never be happy with the loss of her people." I tell him.

"How do we even know if you are telling the truth?" He asks.

"Gustus, you know how long I have been dreaming about the other timeline. You and Indra both know. I have also talked to others that remember that timeline, you know all of this. All of them say the same thing, that we can trust Clarke." Lexa says.

"I am just worried, worried that the feelings that you get from the commander dreams, will affect your decisions. I have already seen it happening. People will talk, talk isn't always good. I am scared that they could turn on you." Gustus says.

"There is more at play here, Gustus. More than any of us knows. My feelings for Clarke cannot be stopped. It is out of anyone's control. I have come to believe that our spirits are tied. Yes, we will have to watch out for those that will try and stop that, but we can't control what the spirits deem what is meant to be." Lexa tells him.

"The spirits have never been wrong. I just don't know if we can stop the people, if they turn on you." Gustus says.

"That is why I need you more than ever." Lexa says.

"I trust you, Lexa. I will be with you, and Clarke as well. We have to talk about Polis, though." Gustus says.

"I assume you mean, Titus. Tell me, what have my spies told you so far?" Lexa asks.

"Titus was seen talking to Azgeda. As your spies got close enough to hear, Titus turned and rushed away. They only managed to hear a few words. Something about a Skai person and after the mountain and bounty. All of this came from Titus. Last thing he said is that this one won't last as long as the last one. It seems that he already plots against you and Clarke." Gustus says.

"It's not enough, they will know that. It doesn't give us much to work with. He didn't name names and a bounty could be placed on anyone, for anything, by the flamekeeper." Lexa says.

I look over at them and say, "There is time, he won't play his hand until the last possible moment. If it comes down to it, and he tries it the same way, let him shoot me."

Lexa looks over at me and says, "That isn't happening."

"Actually, there is something I have to show you both. There were only a certain few made, there wasn't much steel that wasn't in use on the Ark. Ryder, go to the tent, there is a big bag that you brought in from the horse, bring it to us." I say.

We wait for him, it only takes a few moments. Taking the bag I open it. Lexa looks at me and asks, "It looks like armor. There are two sets here."

I look at her and say, "There are two sets, Indra will bring the others. We could only fit so much on the drop ship. My mom has the others. There is a set for Bellamy, Raven, Anya, Indra, Lincoln, Octavia, you and me. Aurora should be finishing Ryder's and Gustus's soon. She had to wait till the Ark came down. They are untested, but should work. Let's test them now. Ryder, hang them up on the poles outside of the tent."

"What kind of armor are they?" Lexa asks. 

"You can't see it, but Aurora two sewed pieces of steel inside it. It should stop a bullet. I ordered them made for the mountain, but there is no reason that we can't wear them around Titus, as well." I tell her.

I grab my pistol and we step outside, walking about twenty feet away. I pull up my gun and shoot the full clip into both of them. We walk back over to the tent and Ryder brings them in with him. He lays them on the war table and I grab my dagger and pull out the bullets.

We all look over the armor, noticing that not even one bullet pierced the inside. "What does this mean?" Ryder asks.

"It means that the armor does it's job. I am not saying that the wearer won't be hurt. A bullet can still do a lot of damage, especially at close range. Most of the time it is no more than a bruise, sometimes it can be a bit worse. However, say someone, wearing this armour, is shot in the heart area, then they would survive." I say.

"The mountain men will be shooting at all of us, but they will target the leaders. This is impressive, no one in the clans would have ever thought about it." Lexa says.

"We should have a few more, by the time we take the mountain. Standard sizes, we will try to have as many as we can, for those on the front lines. Though I wanted to make sure that some of them were custom made for our bodies. Though I had to guess on a few of those sizes, they should still work." I say.

"I will send some Trikru armour makers to Arcadia in the morning, to help Aurora. The more we have the better." Lexa says.

"I will be splitting them up between your warriors and those from Arcadia, but your people will need them more. They will have to get closer to the enemy to kill them. So Trikru will get the majority of them." I tell them.

Gustus looks at me and says, "I might have underestimated you Skai Girl. We shall see."

A guard comes in bringing dinner, Lexa stops him and says, "Take a message to Simone, Gil, and Gimli, tell them to head to Arcadia at first light. They will be helping them with making bullet stopping armour. We need as many as can be made in ten days. That should be when we take the mountain."

As he leaves the tent, we sit down to eat and Lexa turns to Ryder and says, "You have been my guard for awhile now. Now I ask you to guard someone else. She is so important to not only me, but for our people as well. Do you accept?"

I look up, gently putting my hand on her arm and say, "Lexa, I don't need a guard, at least not till we go to Polis."

"It would put my mind at rest if you had one." Lexa says.

I know I can't refuse her, "Fine, on one condition. Ryder and Gustus take shifts guarding us both. Having a guard that is sleep deprived helps no one."

Lexa nods as she turns back to Ryder. He looks at both not us and says, "It has always been an honor to serve you. I will continue to do so in whatever way you may need, Heda."

Lexa looks at me and says, "Even with this armour, we have to find a way for Titus to tip his hand, without having access to a gun. I won't put you at risk like that."

"I also won't put you at risk, so we better come up with a better plan, before then." 

Ryder looks over at us and says, "I say that we have time, we don't face the mountain for ten days. Your spies have barely gotten started. They need time to work. After the mountain, we can look for the Skaikru that landed in Azgeda. That should give us the time needed for your spies, along with information that they will sure give to Clarke's spy, Echo."

As I nod my head, I say, "That could work, we have to help the Azgeda prisoners home. They will be weak and need assistance. Some of them won't even be strong enough to travel to Azgeda for at least a week. This gives us way more time."

"I think that we can extend that, just a bit. There will be many among the reapers, that are Azgeda. Indra says it doesn't take much time to get the Red out of their systems, but that many still have issues for a bit. Is there a way for Skaikru to make it seem like the process is slightly longer, maybe a few weeks?" Lexa asks.

After thinking for a moment, I nod my head and say, "It can be done, we would have to use mount weather medical for it. There is more space there and probably more sedatives available. We would eventually have to keep them sedated for most of that time. I think that maybe even a few days longer than two weeks."

"That gives our spies three weeks to a month to find out something that we can use against Titus. Until then, we can't move against him. He has almost as much power in the clans as I do, almost." Lexa says.

"I have one concern about this plan. We will have to split up. Skaikru will have to be the ones to find the farm station people. They won't trust anyone from the clans, especially in the beginning. Last time, Azgeda attacked them right off, taking kids and adults. They killed some and took others as slaves." I say.

"Will the farm station people ever trust us after that?" Gustus asks.

"Most of them will, a few will not. One of the things we have to do before your people show up, is confiscate any guns that they may have. I will have some of the Ark guards when I go to meet them, as well as Marcus Kane." I tell them.

"How long should we wait before coming into their camp?" Lexa asks.

"I say we enter their camp right before dark. You give us the night to make them understand the situation. Bring your people at first light. Maybe camp about an hour away."

"What about bringing Ryder with you?" Lexa asks.

"I can't bring him. Pike knows everyone on the Ark, he was a teacher of earth skills since right before I was born. He will know that Ryder isn't from the Ark. He will try and kill him on sight." I say.

"You can't go without a guard. What if Ryder stays in the trees, just in case he is needed?" Lexa asks.

"That isn't a good idea. Pike taught his people how to use the trees. More than likely they will have a few watching. That does not mean that I won't have a guard with me. I will bring three, Bellamy Blake, David Miller, and his son Nathan. There will be more guards, but those three I trust with my life." I tell her.

"Will you be taking one of your radios?" Lexa asks.

"I will, but I more than likely won't be able to talk, or if I can not for long. At least until we have all their guns." I tell her.

"You will teach me how to use it. I know you can't talk much, but some kind of update would help me not to worry as much." Lexa says.

"We can do that. I would like for most of your villages to have a radio at sometime and know how to use them. Eventually, Raven will set it up to where the range is long enough for every clan to be able to use them. It will take time, but messages can be received quicker. It will help us all." I tell her, yawning.

Lexa glances at me before turning to Ryder and saying, "We can pick this up in the morning. Ryder, can you bring water into my tent for a bath. I am sure Clarke wants to wash off the stench that was Quint."

"Sha, Heda. It shall be done." Ryder says.

Lexa moves to fold up the armor on the table and as she is just about to put it back into my bag she notices the two cases underneath and pulls them out. Looking at me she asks, "Do you mind me opening them?"

"Actually one set is for you anyways. Raven made them for both of us, but I was going to give you yours right before the mountain. Now is as good a time as any." I tell her.

As Lexa unzips the first case, she gasps. I look over to see which ones she opened first. She pulls out mine first, and says, "These are beautiful, Clarke."

"They are made from a mixture of the two strongest steels known to man, Tungsten and Titanium. She used the last of both that she had to make all four swords. Those are mine, yours she painted red." I tell her.

She turns to me and asks, "You dual wield swords?"

"Indra taught me and Octavia. We are the only ones trained for it." I tell her.

"There are only four people in all the clans who can dual wield. It is not a skill that is easily learned. Indra taught Anya and Anya taught me and one other nightblood." Lexa says. 

"So now there are six of us. Maybe we can train together?" I say.

Lexa closes the case and puts it back into the bag. She turns to me and says, "I would love to, but no training for you for the next few days. I know that the fight with Quint took much out of you. Your body needs rest. Come, the bath should be ready by now. Then we can both get some rest."

Gustus grabs the bag and we head to Lexa's tent. Gustus goes in first to see if it is empty. He comes out and says, "All is good, Heda. The bag is next to the bed. I will be taking the first watch tonight." 

"Thank you, Gustus. Do not let anyone disturb us, unless it is an emergency." Lexa tells him.

Gustus nods his head and walks out. Lexa turns to me and says, "I will wait for you while you get cleaned up."

She walks to the bed and strips off her armour, before going to the table, taking her rag she cleans her warpaint off and goes to sit on the bed. I walk behind the partition and take my armour and clothes off before stepping into the water, the steam still rising.

Though I want to relax in the water, I am so tired I am afraid that I might fall asleep. After washing, I dry off and put some shorts and a loose shirt that Lexa must have laid out for me. The top is a bit tight but other than that it fits well. 

As I walk out of the partition, Lexa stands up and walks over to me. She pulls me into her embrace, kissing the top of my head, and says, "Are you feeling better?"

"I am, I forgot how much I missed baths. Summer time on the ground was good, finding a nice lake, but there is nothing like a bath, especially after a day like today." I tell her.

"I am glad, let's lay down." She says.

She leads me to the bed and we lay down, as she wraps her arms around me. She brings her arm up to mine, gently tracing the tattoo, and asks, "Tell me about these. I saw them the other day. I don't remember them from my dreams. You didn't have any tattoos then."

"You're right, I didn't have any then. I thought about them for years. I spent so much time designing them, while we were working on the time machine. The one on my arm, reminds me of everything I have been through and everything I have had to do." I tell her.

She moves her hand to my waist and pulls my shirt up just enough to see the one on my ribs. "I know this one, it's my commander's marking. What made you want this one?"

"It was the last truly happy moment I had with you. I wanted a reminder of that. By coming back, I didn't know how much we would change things. Would we change them so much that there wouldn't even be an us. I could have lived with that, knowing that you were safe, yet I still wanted to have a piece of you. Though we have also found out so much more about the meaning behind it." I tell her.

She leans down and kisses the top of my head, "I still don't quite understand all that I am feeling, but I know that there was never any choice in the feelings that I have. However, even given the choice, I wouldn't have it any other way. What have you learned about the commander's mark?" She asks.

"It is kind of complicated, I will go with the short version for tonight. Tomorrow, I will draw it out for you. It's a timeline and a map. It is all places that we traveled to before coming back, every place we have been, from the earth to the other moons. Yet, it is also so much more than that. It is a message from Becca." 

I pause for a moment before continuing, "Becca knew everything that would happen. She knew that we would have to come back. She left the plans for the time machine. She knew everything. It all comes back full circle to her." I say, while yawning.

She pulls my shirt back down, pulls me closer and says, "Rest Clarke. We will talk more tomorrow."

I bring her fingers up and kiss them before saying, "Reshop, Lexa."

Earlier that day

Raven's POV

We are just leading the people from the dropship into the gates. It has been a long couple of days. I don't know what to think about Anya. One minute she infuriates me so much that I want to kill her and the next I just want to jump her bones. 

It scares me, these feelings, I have never felt anything so intense. There are times that I feel her gaze on me. I think she feels the same but it still scares me. Everyone I have ever been with has died. I don't exactly have the best track record there.

I look over at her and say, "Come on cheekbones, I have to get some things and radio Clarke."

"My name isn't cheekbones." She says.

"Sure it is, now çome on, we have to be back in Ton Dc by dark." I tell her.

She stops though, "Shhh, be quiet." She says.

I am just about to tell her off when she grabs my arms and says, "Mountain men and reapers, we have to leave now."

I wrench my arm away and say, "We can't, I have to get a message to Clarke."

I run to drop the ship and climb up the stairs. As soon as she makes it up behind me, I turn around about to lock it but she pushes me out of the way. I look back over, noticing the reapers already climbing the stairs. "Fuck, keep em busy cheekbones." I say.

"You're going to be the death of me. Whatever you are going to do, do it fast." She says while slicing through the chest of the closest reaper.

I know Clarke is probably nowhere near the radio, but she will at least have someone listening. "Raven to Clarke." I say into the radio.

Someone on the other end is receiving as I hear three short bursts on the other end, so she at least showed them something about the radio. "Clarke, camp is being attacked, most have run, but some are fighting back. Don't worry about us. We got this." I say.

I look up and see the rest of the reapers drop to the floor and three men with rifles climb up the stairs. I turn back to the radio and send one last quick message before turning back to Anya, and I say, "Stand down Anya, there is nothing else that we can do. If we continue to fight they will kill us both."

I look over and see the last person I really want to see, Emerson. "Listen to your friend here. No one else has to die, today." He says.

I look over at him and say, "Just give us a moment."

I walk over to Anya and put my hand on her shoulder, and whisper into her ear, "If we fight now, then we are dead. I will figure a way out."

She looks at me and says, "No one who enters the mountain, ever comes out."

I am about to respond when Emerson throws a gas grenade at us. I barely manage to say, "We will." Before I lose consciousness.

I am not sure how long it has been when I open my eyes. My head is pounding, yet I look around. They are just bringing back an unconscious Anya, throwing her into the cage next to me and my blood boils over, "What the fuck did you do to her?" I ask.

"Same thing that will happen to you in a few hours." The guard says.

They walk away and I turn to Anya and say, "Wake up, Anya." Reaching through the bars, I gently shake her.

It takes a minute, but she finally groans and opens her eyes. Shaking her head, "We have to get out of her, but not yet. We have another problem to deal with first."

"What issue is that? I can get us out of here in a matter of minutes" I ask her.

"They have Madi. I don't know where they took her, but soon they will know about her being a nightblood. They have never caught a nightblood before." Anya says.

"We can't let them know much about her blood. They will search for more nightbloods, if they do. Nightblood will cure them. I have a plan though." I tell her.

She is about to say something when they bring Madi back. They throw her into the cage next to Anya, who tries to comfort her. I turn to them and ask, "What the fuck man, she's just a child. You didn't have to torture her."

"She has information about your leader. We will get it out of her eventually. Now tell me, why is her blood black." Dr Tsing asks.

"Why would we tell you anything." I ask her.

She looks at me and says, "If you tell me about her blood, I will stop hurting her. I may even let her go."

I don't believe her for a moment, but she is walking right into my trap. "Her blood is a mutation, not many people have it. We tried testing the blood with others but everyone we did died. That is all I know, now set her free." I tell Dr Tsing.

She looks at me and gives me an evil smile before saying, "Oh, I think she is still of use. We will keep her awhile longer, if she survives the questioning."

"You sick bitch." I yell at her.

Dr Tsing walks out the room saying, "I will be back soon."

I turn to Madi and say, "Don't worry, sweetie. We won't be here when she comes back."

"I didn't tell them anything, Raven. They wanted to know about mom, but I didn't say a thing, not even when they broke my arm." Madi says.

"It's ok, they won't hurt you again." I tell her.

I am cursing up a storm as I pull a pin out of my hair pin. It only takes a minute and my cage door is open. I follow up by opening Anya's door. As I am looking around for something sharp to cut out our tracking devices, one of the tiles in the ceiling pulls away.

Anya steps in front of me and Madi, as I peer over her shoulder, I see Bellamy in a mountain weather guards uniform. "It's ok, Anya. It's Bellamy."

He looks at me and shakes his head. "The others told me you were captured as well, but you weren't with them. I came to see if you needed any help, but I should have known better. Echo stayed with them."

I pull Madi out and say, "I need two things, I need your knife to get these trackers out and I need something to make a sling. I don't know how to set a broken bone. They broke her arm trying to get information on Clarke."

He hands me his knife, looks at Madi and says, "Fucking bastards. Get back in the cages and take the trackers out. I will be back in a few minutes."

We all climb back into our cages and I cut the tracker out of my arm before handing the knife to Anya. She cuts hers out and gently takes Madi's arm, and says, "I am sorry goufa, this will hurt a bit, but we can't have them follow us when we leave."

"Just do it, Miss Anya. I am fine." Madi tells her. 

Anya gently slides the knife in and pulls out the tracker. I look at them and say, "Ok, now leave the trackers in the cage."

Bellamy comes back with a sheet, we step out of the cages. He hands it to me and I make a sling for Madi. Clarke could do so much better but it is something at least. Anya turns to Bellamy and tries to hand him his knife back. 

"Keep it, you might need it getting out of here. I have another, just keep those two safe." He tells her.

Two guards come in at this time, and before I can blink both Anya and Bellamy let their knives fly, each landing in both guards chests, dead before they can hit the floor. They grab their knives and Bellamy turns to me and says, "Go now. They will think you killed them escaping, be safe, Raven" 

Bellamy climbs back up into the ceiling as I gently pick up and carry Madi. I turn to them and say, "Ok, we are going in here. The floor will drop and we will land in a cart. You have to be quiet. These tunnels are used by the reapers and we aren't in any shape to fight too many of them."

I hit the button and the door opens. We walk in and as the alarm sounds Madi snuggles closer to me with a whimper. The floor falls and we land in a cart. Anya climbs out and reaches for Madi so that I can climb out. We grab some Trikru clothing from one of the carts, they are way too big for Madi, but it will have to do.

I try to think a minute, we can't go the way Clarke got out last time, not with Madi being hurt. I take Madi back and head in the opposite direction. It can't be helped. That's when we hear them, reapers.

I make a sharp left and head down another tunnel. As we come down to the end of the hall, two guards come out the door. Anya slits the first guard's throat. "Cut open his suit, Anya." I tell her as he gets closer to her, while reaching for his gun.

She slices the leg of his suit and he screams, falling to the floor to grab it. "Ok, soon as I open the door, an alarm will sound really loud. We will be in the forest, and have to run. It won't take long before they have suits on and are following us."

Anya touches my shoulder, and says, "Where do you want to go first?"

"The Ark is too far, especially with Madi, so is Ton Dc. Head towards the dropship. There is a place not far from it where we can call Clarke and wait. They won't find us there, as long as we can beat them there." I tell her.

I hit a few numbers on the keypad, universal numbers, if we had time I would be able to open it without an alarm. As soon as the door is open, we take off running. I start slowing down about half way and Anya stops, "Give me the child." She says.

Madi has fallen asleep and I hand her over, knowing that I can't carry her the whole way. As we are passing the dropship I turn right through the woods. Slowing down a bit, I take Madi back as she is whimpering, "It's about twenty more minutes." I tell them.

Finally I found the tree in the dark, thank goodness I marked it. I set Madi down for a minute and I moved some leaves around, finding the door, it opened with a screech. Picking Madi back up, I head down the ladder, Anya following behind. 

She closes up the hatch door and turns to me, and says, "Let's put the goufa to bed and then you can call Clarke."

Madi cries out, "Where's mom, I want my mom. It hurts, where is Clarke."

I take Madi back from Anya and say, "It's ok, Madi. You're safe. As soon as you go to bed, I can work on calling your mom. She will come get you, I promise."

I gently lay her on the bed and it doesn't take long for her to fall asleep. I stand up and head to the table. I find the remote and the car that it goes to. Sitting down I start working, tears flowing down my face.

Anya comes over and puts her arm around me and says, "It's ok, Raven. We are out of the mountain."

I turn to her and say, "It's not that. I am weak. I didn't get the training everyone else did and that could have caused Madi her life. I've already seen that happen once. I don't want to go through that again."

She reaches up and wipes the tears from my face before speaking again, "You are strong. You are brave. There are not many people that I have met that are nearly as strong and brave as you are. If you want to be trained, I will train you."

"I don't have time to train, not right now. I have so much to do. Right now I have to make this radio." I say.

"You have to make the radio, that is true. After the mountain, I will train you, even if it's just a little bit a day. Until then, I am honored to be your sword." Anya says.

I work on the radio and Anya moves over to the bed, humming a song. It must be a Trikru lullaby. She has the softest look on her face, something I would never have believed if I hadn't seen it myself. About thirty minutes later I have the radio ready. "It's ready." I say.

Anya comes over and sits next to me and asks, "Do we tell Clarke about Madi?"

"We have to tell her something about Madi, she is going to be upset either way. The things they did to Madi in the other timeline, I just don't have words for. It broke Clarke. This will trigger her for sure, but we really don't have any choice here." I say.

I turn the radio on and speak, "Clarke, Raven here. Clarke are you there?"

It has a bit more static than I would like but the range should be ok. "Raven, I don't have much time. Madi is missing and Gaia is hurt. Where are you?" Clarke says.

I look at Anya for a moment and say, "We are safe, Clarke. Madi is with us. Clarke, they tortured her. She is hurt but should be ok. They broke her arm. She will be ok, just get here."

"Raven, I only got part of that, you said Madi is with you? Is she ok? Where is here?" Clarke says.

"Yes, I have Madi, Clarke. She will be ok. We are at the art supply store." I say.

"We will be there soon. Did you say she's hurt?" Clarke asks.

I go to answer her but the batteries on the radio must have died, because there is nothing. I walk over and sit down on the floor next to the wall. Anya joins me there, "She's going to be so worried and then she's going to be pissed." I say.

"They won't get away with it. Clarke will have her justice with that Dr." Anya says.

It isn't too long before I doze off, with Anya next to me.


	8. Chapter 8 "Jus Haknes"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa find out what happened to Madi. Lexa gets some interesting news about her family. Some plans for the mountain go into effect.

Chapter 8 "Jus Haknes"

Lexa's POV

I am just giving last minute orders to the search party being sent to try and find Madi. Clarke is beside herself, knowing that she can't be in the party herself. She's worried about Raven and Anya. She figured that they would be back by now. Then Charlotte called on the radio about Gaia and Madi. 

She fought bravely, even with a bullet in her shoulder. She managed to kill twelve reapers, before succumbing to her wounds. Charlotte did what she could to help her, but she has been sent to Arcadia, where she can be helped by Abby.

Gustus has been trying to get me alone. He has been since we heard about Madi. Something is bothering him. As soon as I turn away from my gonas, I look at him and say, "What is it?"

He leads me a bit aways and says, "I never thought we would have to tell you this. We sent her away, after your father was killed saving her."

"What are you talking about Gostos? Who did you send away?" I ask him.

"Your mother, she was pregnant. We didn't know if her or the child would survive. We sent her to her sister, Dilrana in Louwada kliron. After Costia, we kept them secret." He says.

I look at him and say, "Nomon died with Nontu. The mountain killed them. What are you trying to say, Gostos?"

He looks at me sadly and says, "Your mom lived, so did the baby. She was born a nightblood. Your family has been through so much. You didn't need to know that your sister would have to fight in the conclave. Madi is your sis." 

I am just about to say something, when I hear it, the most heart wrenching scream that I have ever heard. "Clarke" I say and we take off towards the tents, swords already drawn.

We burst into the tent and Clarke is curled into a rocking back and forth. I am about to send Gustus out of the tent when she turns to me and says, "They took her, Lexa. They hurt her."

Dropping my sword I fall down next to her, pulling her in my arms, "Who, Clarke? Who has Madi?"

"The mountain men. They hurt her. She's only six. How could anyone do that?" She cries.

"They will pay, the ones that hurt her will pay. I won't rest until they do. Where is she now, Clarke?" I ask her, kissing the top of her head.

Clarke gets up, grabbing her bag. She turns to me and says, "She's in a bunker, near the 100's camp, with Anya and Raven. I have to go."

I turn to Gustus and say, "Find Ryder and get our horses ready. We leave in ten minutes."

I pull her back into my arms and say, "We will go get her. What all did Raven say?"

"I couldn't hear much, it wasn't a good signal. All I got was that they escaped, had Madi with them, and that they were in the bunker. Raven said something about Madi being hurt, but when I asked about it, their radio must have died." Clarke says.

I lean in, pressing our foreheads together, "We are going to get them now. We will find Madi and you will heal her. She is going to be ok."

Clarke's POV

I pull back from Lexa and say, "I can't lose her again."

Lexa grabs my hand, kisses my fingers and says, "We won't. Let's go get her."

We leave the tent and head towards the horses. Indra is there waiting for us. She looks at me and says, "Let's go get our goufa."

I climb on the back of my horse and we take off. It doesn't take us long to get there. I barely stop my horse, before I am hopping off. Ryder takes the reins and ties all the horses to a tree, as I head to the latch and open the door. 

I pull out my dagger as I head down the stairs and that's when I hear her, "Raven, it hurts, I want my mom. Why can't we leave yet." Madi says.

"Oh Madi, I know it hurts sweetie. We can't leave because Clarke is coming here." Raven says.

The moment my foot hits the last rung of the ladder, there is a sword at my neck. I know who it is immediately. I grab her hand and say, "Anya, stand down. Where is Madi?"

Anya lowers her sword and points to the one bedroom. I rush to it with Lexa beside me. I see Raven holding Madi, trying to calm her and I take the last few steps to the bed. Madi looks up, with tears in her eyes, "Nomon, my arm hurts."

I am not sure if she even knows what she is saying. She's never called me mom before. Maybe it is just a one time thing, because she's in shock. "I know sweetie, I will fix it for you." I say while kissing the top of her head.

I take a quick look at her, there are numerous cuts and bruises as well as her arm being broke. I reach into my bag and get a needle out, "This is going to sting a bit, but it will help the pain when I have to set your arm." I tell her.

After I give her the shot to numb some of the pain in her arm, I turn to Lexa and say, "Her arm is broken in two places, I am going to have to pop those bones into place and wrap them tightly. It's still going to hurt, can you hold her down for me."

Lexa looks like that is the last thing she wants to do, but says, "Sha, I will hold her arm."

Lexa climbs into the bed with Madi and holds her close. I turn to Madi and say, "Madi, I am so sorry, but this is going to hurt really bad. It has to be done though or your arm won't ever heal right. My little nightblida is so strong and so brave."

Madi's screams echo throughout the bunker, the hard part is finished. As I finish making a sling for her, she finally passes out. I look over at Lexa and see the tears flowing down her face. I don't say anything, I just walk out the room. In the other room, I notice that there isn't a dry eye.

I go over and hug Raven and say, "Thank you for getting her out of there."

Raven hugs me back, "I would never leave her there. They are so sick. I was picking the lock to leave when they brought her back." Raven says.

"Who did this Raven? Who hurt her?" I ask.

Lexa comes into the room at this time and Raven says, "Dr. Tsing did this. She's evil Clarke. She was torturing her for information about you. Madi didn't say anything to them. I did though."

Lexa looks at her and asks, "What did you tell them, Raven?"

With a smile Raven says, "They asked about her blood. I told them it was a sickness. I told them it was from Radiation poisoning and that we tried to use it on different diseases, but everyone who got transfusion from her died a few days later."

I look at everyone and say, "We can't stay here. The mountain men could return. We need to get Madi to Arcadia, she needs a full cast. This is only temporary. There will also be medicines there that are for children. Most of what I have with me is not."

Ryder looks up and says, "I will make a litter."

"There isn't time. We need to leave now." I tell them.

Lexa looks at Anya, "You will take Clarke's horse with Raven. Clarke can hold Madi while riding with me."

Lexa goes back into the bedroom and comes back out with Madi, all wrapped up in the blanket. When we are all back outside I climb on Lexa's horse. Lexa leans down, kisses Madi's head and hands her to me, before hopping up behind me.

There haven't been many times that I've seen her be so gentle. It warms my heart. When we are about halfway to Arcadia, Madi starts stirring in her sleep. 

I gently move the hair out of her eyes and start singing, "Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed. Some say love, it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed. Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless need. I say love, it is a flower and you it's only seed."

Madi calms down and I feel a single teardrop land on my shoulder, "Where did you learn that song?" Lexa asks. 

"My dad would sing it when I was little. It's like 300 years old, I don't remember who sang it first. I sing it for Madi, because her mom used to sing it to her. It calms her down, when she's upset." I tell her.

"Gustus told me something, before we left Ton Dc. I almost didn't believe him, but hearing that song changed some things, in my mind." She says.

Whatever he said and that song has Lexa upset. "What did he tell you?" I ask her.

Lexa places her hand on Madi's foot and says, "I was told that Nomon died when Nontu did, from reapers. Gustus told me that Nomon lived and was sent away for her safety. She was pregnant, with Madi, at the time. They kept it secret."

"Wait, you are saying that Madi is your sister?" I ask.

"I thought I didn't have any family left, except for Anya, who is like a sis and Gustus, who was my Nontu's best friend. Yet, I knew there was something about Madi, when I first saw her. Then you sang that song, she is my sis." Lexa says.

"Ok, Madi is your sister. What happens next? What makes that song different from any other song?" I ask.

"There are some songs that everyone sings to their children. The song Nomon would sing, not many others ever did. As for what happens next, I have to send Madi away. She has to be safe. If Nia or even Titus, ever found out about her, then she wouldn't be." Lexa says.

"I can only think of one place that she might be safe, but she can't travel that far for a few days. Though I am not sure that I want her that far away." I say.

"Where might that be?" Lexa asks.

"Lincoln and Octavia can take her to Floukru. Luna will take her in and I know that she will keep her safe. They could make it there and back before we march on the mountain." I say.

It's quiet for a moment, "Luna doesn't fight anymore, but she would for a nightblood child. We should think about it." Lexa says.

We come up over the hill and see Arcadia through the trees. The gates open and there is mom and dad. Lexa hops down off the horse and I hand her Madi, before jumping down myself. Mom looks over at Madi in Lexa's arms and asks, "What happened to Madi?" 

"Mom, they broke her arm. I've set it but she needs a cast." I say while leading Lexa into the Ark. 

Madi wakes up at this time, "Hey pretty girl, we are going to unwrap your arm now. Then Abby is going to put a hard cast on it. My little nightblood will be holding a sword in no time." I tell her while kissing her forehead.

"No, Clarke. We have to talk about the mountain men. They have pictures of you and Lexa. They say that they are going to kill you. They are sending two people to Ton Dc. They are going to send a missile." Madi cries.

I look at Lexa and she turns to Madi and asks, "When will they get there, goufa?"

"I didn't tell them anything, I just listened. Cage came in and told the doctor that in three days. Then he had her break my arm. They wanted to know if you would be there. Beja, don't go there." Madi says.

Mom comes up beside the bed, looks at me and I nod. "It's ok Madi. We will take care of it."

As Madi is looking at me and shaking her head, mom comes up on her other side and injects a sedative in her. I give Madi one last kiss and turn to the others, "Indra go with Octavia, find the scouting party. Send half back to Ton Dc, to warn them. The rest is to be brought here."

"Sha, Clarke. Right away." Indra says and leaves the room.

I turn to dad and say, "Find Lincoln, Murphy and the council members. Meet us in the meeting room in twenty minutes."

I turn to mom and say, "Take care of Madi for me. When you are finished join us. Jackson can bring Madi to us when she wakes. I want David to come and guard her till then. He will keep her safe."

Lexa leans down and kisses Madi, and we all walk out the room. It only takes a minute to get to the meeting room. Lexa pulls me into her arms, kisses my forehead and asks, "Is Madi going to be ok?"

"Madi, is going to be ok. Her injuries aren't too bad. She's going to take some time to heal, but she will be fine, and my mom is the best doctor there is. I want to kill them all, Dr. Tsing and Cage especially. I want them to die slowly."

"There will be no mercy for those two, but I also know that you don't want that for everyone. So what are you thinking?" Lexa asks.

I am about to say something, but the others walk into the room at this time and Lexa pulls away. Everyone sits down and it is Murphy that speaks first, "Clarke, what is going on? You usually don't bring me into most meetings. What happened to Madi?"

"They tortured Madi. She will be ok, but we have other issues to worry about. What I am going to say does not leave this room. Got it?" I say.

Everyone nods their heads and I continue, "First things first, Lincoln you and a few gonas are going to take Madi to Luna. They will be staying there to protect her. She is a nightblood of the most importance. That is all they need to know. You will be the one that tells Luna just who she is. Only Luna is to know that she is Lexa's sister. When you have finished talking to Luna, you and only you will return, just in time for the battle with the mountain."

Lexa is looking at me with wide eyes and I lean over and whisper in her ear, "Everyone in this room loves Madi, they will die in order to keep her safe." 

Marcus looks at me and asks, "What else has changed?"

"The mountain is sending two spotters for the missle, we will intercept them. If my plan goes accordingly, we won't need you to radio back to the mountain. We will need him on our side, for what I have planned next and I know just how to get him to do what we want. You will still be coming Marcus, just in case." I say.

Murphy looks at me and says, "I am not going to like the next part of your plan am I."

"No, I don't think that you are, but it is necessary and I know you will recover. You remember last time, when Anya sent you back to the dropship. It will be the same, but this time you will be entering the mountain." I tell him.

Mom walks in at this time and sits down next to dad. Lexa looks at me and says, "If you are thinking about what I am thinking you are, jus haknes has no cure and your people and mine will be sick. Any children under the age of five will more than likely not make it."

I turn to mom and ask, "The pills that I had you make, how many are available?"

She shakes her head and says, "I have enough for 250, but remember it's not a cure. It will however lessen the severity of the sickness and more than likely prevent any deaths from those that take them. That includes any children."

Mom and I talked about this in great length, not wanting to ever want to have to actually do it. Murphy looks at me and says, "So you want me to get captured and bring it to them? I will do it for Madi."

Dad wipes a hand over his face and asks, "How will you get the medicine into the Mountain?"

"That will be the job of the spotter, he will want to save his family. He will give most of them to Bellamy and then give the rest to his kids." I tell them.

"How do we know who the mountain is sending as the second spotter?" Raven asks.

"We know that there are two people that Cage Wallace trusts the most. The spotter from last time and his head of security. He will send both of them, he will feel like he has no choice. Knowing him, he will be pissed about the escape. By now, Dr. Tsing has tested Madi's blood, probably on Maya. They will know that black blood can make them walk outside. They won't be thinking about the blood marrow of our people." I tell them.

"Raven, I need you and Anya to go to your workshop. Get in contact with Bellamy and speak in Trig, tell him how the plan has changed. Then I need you to hack into their defense systems. If for some reason we can't make our plan work, I need you to have the missle self-destruct. If things go wrong with the plan, I don't want them to be able to use them on the Clans or Arcadia." I tell her.

Raven clenches her jaw and says, "Fuck, Clarke. That will kill everyone inside, including our own people."

I pinch my nose and rub my temples, feeling the headache coming on. Lexa grabs my hand and squeezes it. I take a deep breath and say, "I know, I don't like it any better than anyone, but it might have to happen. I am hoping my plan works, but if not we need a back up plan. We need the mountain, but not at the cost of Arcadia or Polis." 

"I know you don't like it, I have a better idea though." Raven says.

"I have to have the mountain pretty much intact, if we are going to have even a chance at stopping Praimfaya. By tomorrow I can have any missile that I want, jammed not able to leave the mountain. It would take weeks for them to fix it. We can still save who we need to save." Raven says.

I look up and say, "I didn't think that was possible. See that it is done Raven."

I look over at mom and ask, "How is Gaia doing?"

Jackson walks in with Madi, who comes over and sits in my lap. I kiss her cheek and turn back to mom, "She is going to be fine. Her shoulder will take some time to heal. The main issue was blood loss. She will be tired and weak for a few weeks, but after that she will be pretty much back to normal." She says.

"When will she be able to travel?" I ask.

"I guess you want her to go to Luna as well. She really should have a few days rest, but if Jackson goes with her for the trip, then she can leave tomorrow." Mom says.

I turn to Jackson and say, "I know you are worried about Nathan, but he will be fine and you will be back before we take the mountain. I need Gaia to go with Madi. Together they will be safe in Floukru."

"I have no problems helping Gaia. I will need to speak to Luna's healer about her recovery anyways. Just one thing, if I don't make it back in time, tell Nathan that I love him and will see him soon." Jackson says. 

"I squeeze his hand and say, "Thank you, Jackson. You have my word." 

I look over the room and say, "We will speak more on everything tomorrow. Now I have to go speak to Gaia and make sure this one get some rest."

I run a hand through my hair, standing up with Madi in my arms, I walk out the room, with Lexa and our two guards with us. We head back to medical. As soon as we walk into the room, there she is, trying to leave the room, but one of the nurses isn't letting her.

There is a Mary, another Dr behind her with a needle, but I shake my head. "Seda, Gaia. You're awake."

Gaia turns and sees me with Madi in my arms. After seeing Lexa she goes to bow and I stop her. Lexa leads her to the bed and helps her lay down. "Moba, Heda. I couldn't protect her. My life is forfeit." Gaia says.

Lexa shakes her head and says, "You, my future flamekeeper, have no reason to feel guilty. You fought with everything that you have to keep my sister safe. You should be honoured for your actions and eventually you will be."

I reach over and squeeze Gaia's hand and say, "You fought well trying to save her and as you can see my friend, she is ok. I need you to do something for us though."

"Did you say sister? You know I will do anything for Madi, Clarke." Gaia says.

I look around the room and see that no one is here. I get up and lock the door, before turning back to Gaia and saying, "You could use a few days rest, but I need you to take Madi to Floukru. Lincoln will be leading some warriors as well to be Madi's guards."

Madi has been quiet this whole time, but it is now that she yells out, "I don't want to go to Floukru. I want to stay with you and fight the mountain men."

I pull her tighter into my embrace, kissing the top of her head, I tell her, "Oh Madi, you are strong, fierce and brave, but you can't hold a sword right now and neither can Gaia. We need you safe. The mountain men will be coming back for you after Dr. Tsing realizes how special your blood is. Lexa and I will come pick you up as soon as we are able to, but it might be awhile."

"How long is awhile?" Madi asks.

"It will probably be a few months, you will be healing and getting better, the both of you. I know that's a long time, but not nearly as long as the last time that we were apart. I need you to be brave for me and Lexa." I tell her.

"Ok, Clarke. I will be brave. I have to take care of Seda." Madi says.

"I will take care of her, Clarke. I understand the implications of her being Lexa's sister. Nia and Titus will both want her eliminated. That won't happen. You just keep each other safe. When do we leave?" Gaia says.

"You leave first thing in the morning. I might not be able to come back to see you. I will send Lincoln with Madi then. They will be sending you dinner soon. For now you need to eat and rest. I love you, I will be seeing you in a few months." I say as I lean over and give her a hug.

I finally let go of Gaia and we walked out the room. I turn to Lexa and say, "We don't have time for a tour today, but there is one place I wanted to show both of you. It's a bit different this time, the paintings on the walls there."

Lexa looks at me, she only ever saw the maps I drew and the one picture of her last time. Madi has seen many, I think it has helped her to recognize many people this time. "I would love to see whatever you want to show me." Lexa says.

I debated showing Madi this, she has heard most of the stories, but that was as she got older. I think she needs to understand some of it. We make it to the skybox and I open the door with one of only two keys that we have for it. I destroyed the rest and dad has the other.

We walk inside and Gustus and Ryder try to stay outside, but I have another idea. "You guys should see this as well. It shows what we are fighting for. The whole reason that we came back."

Everyone steps in and I can see the awe in all their faces. I turn them to the first wall and say, "This is everything that happened in the last timeline, everything that I want to change. The other walls are what I want to happen this time."

I watch their faces as they look upon the pictures. They look at everything slowly, taking their time, from my father being floated, to the death wave, to the destruction of Sanctum. They then turn to the other walls with tears flowing down their faces. 

I grab Lexa's hand as they come to the last wall, "I have done some horrible things, I want to make them right. I can't do it alone though. Help me, help me bring peace to all of our people. I am so tired of war, death and destruction, but I know that together we can fight these last few wars and bring peace to us all."

Before I am finished speaking, both Ryder and Gustus hit the floor, bowing before me. "Sha, Wanheda. Our lives are yours. We will do everything we can to make sure that this future that you see happens." They both say in unison.

"Rise, you do not need to bow for me. I am not Heda. She is your leader. I am just here to help." I say.

After standing, Gustus says, "You misunderstood us, Heda is still our leader, but you, you are her equal. You carry half of her Keryon. Ogeda, you will do many great things. You must both be protected and we can't let anyone know until Titus and Nia are gone. They will try to destroy you both. We won't let that happen."

I am still wrapping my head around everything they said as we leave the skybox, headed towards my quarters. When we arrive I notice that dinner is already waiting for us. I turn to Ryder and Gustus and say, "These doors have locks on them. The only people with keys are my dad and the ones residing in them. I have my key, yours is in the drawer by the desk. Eat and get some rest, there is much we need to do tomorrow."

I hand Gustus my key, he nods and heads to the room next door. We walk in and sit down to eat. I look at Lexa and say, "The meat won't be as good as what you are used to. The cooks are just now getting used to even having any kind of real meat."

"I am sure it will be fine. We won't be here for long and the cooks will get better. I will send someone from Ton Dc, they can teach your cooks how to cook with food on the ground." Lexa tells me.

We finish eating dinner just as Madi starts to yawn. "Come on, Madi, time for bed." I tell her.

This is our old quarters, the ones we had before dad became Chancellor. I lay Madi in bed and kiss her goodnight, before heading back into the other room. I led Lexa into the room that used to belong to my parents. She pulls me into her arms and says, "She will be ok, Clarke." 

"She's just so little and they hurt her Lexa." I say.

"They hurt her, but it is not your fault. It is their fault. Soon, they won't hurt anyone ever again." Lexa says.

I close my eyes and say, "You don't know how bad it was in Sanctum. I couldn't draw what they did to her. I can't let it happen again. I can't lose her, not again."

"You won't, Clarke. We will make sure of that. She will be safe with Luna, until we can bring her back." Lexa says.

She slowly removes my armour and clothes. When she is finished with hers, she lays me in the bed. She lays down next to me and pulls me close. "Rest Clarke. We will see her in the morning, before Lincoln comes."

I don't say anything, as she kisses the back of my shoulder and places my hand on top of my chest, just holding it there. I fall asleep to the beat of her heart.

I don't sleep long, it must be Lexa's dream that wakes me up. She is maybe eight at the time. She is saying goodbye, Gustus is off to the side with Anya. Lexa is crying, her dad leans down and kisses her cheek and says, "It might be awhile before we see you again goufa, but Anya and Gustus will take care of you, till then."

Her dad gets up and her mom kneels before her. She caresses her cheek and says, "My sweet child. Don't ever let them change you. Your love is your greatest strength, don't be afraid to share it. Others might say differently, but I know the truth, we will always be with you, my love."

Gustus and Anya walk over at that time, they hug Lexa's parents and Anya says, "I am sorry, but it is time."

Lexa wakes up with tears in her eyes. I reach over and wipe her tears away, "It's ok, you're ok. They are still with you in here." I say while placing her hand on her heart.

Lexa kisses my cheek and says, "I know that now, it's just that I forgot this time with them. I forgot their words, I let Titus get into my head."

"Forget about Titus for a moment. Tell me about that day. I only saw that last conversation. Tell me about your Nomon and Nontu."

Lexa smiles and says, "Anya and Gustus took me to see them, Titus was gone for a few days, picking up a new nightblood that was found. They pretty much stayed out of sight the whole time, giving us time as a family."

She looks at me and says, "Nontu was brave and strong, yet he had this huge laugh. No matter who I was feeling, he could bring a smile to my face. Nomon always knew when I wasn't telling the truth. I would tell her I was training with my friends and she would laugh and say, then why is your hair wet, and what is this moss. She was never angry at me though, she would hug me and tell me that it was ok to take some time for myself."

I kiss her fingertips and ask, "What happened on that day? What do you remember?"

"We spent the day at the waterfall, near Ton Dc, swimming in the lake there. When it was lunch time we ate in the caves. I used to love the caves, off of one tunnel there was a spring. Not many people knew about it. I used to wonder what made it hot. I took a bath in it that day, and when I was finished it was time to go."

Lexa's smile slowly fades away, I squeeze her hand and she says, "I didn't want to go. I knew it was time to step up my training in Polis. I was going to be eight in a week. That's when someone has to fight in the conclave, if something happens to the commander. I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay with my family. Instead I went back and Titus got in my head. I forgot about everything Nomon said that day. It was something I needed, in order to kill my brothers and sisters. With Luna though, I couldn't chase her down and kill her like Titus wanted. I wished I could go with her, but knew I had more important things to do."

"How old were you, when you had your conclave?" I ask her.

"I was thirteen the day I received the flame. Killing the others changed me. It wasn't until Costia came to Polis the next year that I slowly started to recover. I was gone from Polis a lot, fighting the clans, just trying to form the coalition. When I was home for brief periods of time, there was Costia. We would sneak off and explore the woods behind Polis." Lexa tells me.

I kiss her cheeks, and say, "I am glad Costia was there to help you. No one should be alone."

"About three years before you came down, things changed between Costia and I. I could see it when she would look at me, but at the same time I was confused. Right before I left to talk to Nia, she kissed me and I kissed her back. It was while I was gone that they took her. It confused me even more when I started having dreams about you. I knew I loved Costia, but it was nothing like how the dreams made me feel. Though I wish she was still here, I am happy that I found you." Lexa says.

I lean in and say, "I think that I found you." 

Just as I am about to kiss her, Madi walks in the room. "You two are gross." She says.

I bring her in for a hug, being careful of her arm, "Hey bug, let's get you some breakfast." I tell her.

After breakfast, we all climb on our horses, Madi riding in a cart with Gaia. As we turn to go in the opposite direction, I already feel my heart growing heavy. We stop about halfway to Ton Dc, this will be the path that our two targets take.

Lexa turns to Indra and says, "You and Octavia take the horses about an hour away walking, then swiftly make your way back here. Use the trees for cover, we will be close."

"Sha, Heda." Indra says and they take off.

We climb the trees, Ryder pulling out his bow, and we wait. We hear a whistle in the trees, letting us know that Octavia and Indra are ready. We hear them talking, Whitman and Emerson, "Carl, though I love the idea of using the missle to kill the savages, why can't we take out their leaders first?"

"We need their leaders to take us to the child. We now breathe the air outside of the mountain freely. It isn't something I like, killing a child, but it is her blood that will save our people. To do that we will have to drain her body of every drop of it." Emerson says.

I have heard enough, with a loud cry I land on Emerson's back, my blade at his throat. I hear the whistle from Ryder's arrow and see Whitman bleeding out on the ground. "Carl Emerson, head of mount weather security, you are going to want to speak to us. We have a deal for you." I say as the others jump down from the trees.

"I won't make any deals with savages." He says.

I punch him in the stomach, as I don't want any bruises visible on his body and say, "You should hear something before you say anything else."

I pull my radio out and make three short clicks, followed by two long ones. It isn't but a moment before we hear Bellamy on the other end of the radio, "What's your daddy's name Trevor?"

"Carl, he is the boss of all the guards and one day I will be as good as he is." A small voice not much older than Madi comes through.

"Your dad is awesome. I also hope that one day I will be as good as he is. Can we be friends, Trevor?" Bellamy asks.

"Sure, I will tell my daddy how cool you are." Trevor says.

"What do you want?" Emerson asks.

"I want what every parent wants. I want my child to be safe. To do that I have to kill some of your people, but I don't have to kill them all. If you do what I say, then both your children and your wife will walk the earth. However, if you cross me, you will all die. I have so many eyes in the mountain. Your family will be the first to die and it will be quite painful."

"What do I have to do?" He asks.

"First, you have to come to Ton Dc with us. There you will send different quadrants for your missle. It will be far away from here. If you don't then our hacker will know and have it explode inside the mountain, where your family is." I tell him.

"You bitch, you would kill everyone there." He yells.

It is Lexa that gets him this time, with a kick to the groin. "None of us want to kill all your people, but we will. You see, we have almost thirty thousand people to protect. You have 328, oops 327 now. If you do this, yes some of your people will die, but not all of them and not your family." I say.

"What else do I have to do?" He asks.

"You will escort that man over there inside, telling them that he is your prisoner. He will be carrying a disease to spread to your people. Don't worry, it is not meant to kill, just weaken them. This bag here is for you to give to your son's new friend. It will be distributed to all the children and those that are already helping us. It will lessen the symptoms for your family." I say.

"I will do anything you say, but if my family dies, nothing will stop me from killing you and yours." He says.

"I would expect nothing else." I say and we make our way to the horses. 

It is late that night when Emerson let's Cage know about the quadrants. Kane is with us, just to make sure that he sends the correct ones. Kane nods and we wait. A few hours later, Emerson calls Cage back, "Sir, it is confirmed everyone in the village is dead. I am sorry, our two targets are also dead, I had to kill them when they shot Whitman with an arrow, but I have a present for you."

"You were supposed to bring them to me alive. What present can make up for that?" Cage asks.

"They had a man locked up, he is severely beaten, but he has information. He knows where to find the child, but he needs a few days to heal before he talks. I think we can trust him, the savages we're about to kill him. I heard them talk about 1000 cuts and to bring the prisoner." Emerson says.

"Good, bring him home. If his information is good then we will keep him alive for awhile." Cage says and the radio goes dead.

I turn to him and say, "Remember what I said, we have many people watching you. Any slip and we will know and your family is dead. Oh and my friend Murphy here will not be harmed."

"I can't make any promises to that, I can't control Cage, but he will be alive." Emerson says.

I turn to Murphy and say, "Get our family back and stay alive."

He hugs me and says, "I am a cockroach, remember. It will take a lot to kill me, princess."

He walks away and as the tears flow. I hope I am not sending him to his death. Murphy and I have come a long way. He is my brother, the first one to try and comfort me from my pain. I look towards the dead zone, hoping that Emori made it back and was able to save those there from the missle.

Lexa grabs my hand and leads me to her tent. I might as well call it our tent, never having to sleep in another one. It is quite late now and we take our armour off and slip into our night clothes. 

She guides me to the bed and we both lay down. She leans in and gives her lips brushing mine. I place my hand on her neck and pull closer to her, placing my lips on hers. My tongue runs gently across her lips and she lets me in. It is a slow kiss, a single tear running down both our cheeks. 

As my hand moves towards her shirt, she stops me. I pull back just enough to look into her eyes, just as she says, "I want to, but we are both tired and the last few days, we have both been through a lot. We need to sleep, but I so want to explore every part of you." 

"You're right, we are both tired. We should rest." I say.

She kisses my cheek and says, "Goodnight, ai skai geda."

I smile and say, "Reshop ai gona."

Lexa's POV

I am in a dream, but this is not my dream. There is so much blood, yet it ends in fire. I open my eyes gasping for air, "You will never harm another in this lifetime. Yu gonplei ste odon."

I look over as Clarke wakes up with a scream. Grabbing her flailing arms, I can feel everything she feels, from the tightness in her chest to the heaviness in her limbs. She is panicking, her breaths coming in so fast and raspy. 

I turn her around and say, "Clarke, it's ok. Your safe, Madi is safe. Look at me."

She looks into my eyes, her own hazy and distant, shaking her head. Her breaths came heavy and frantic. "Clarke, look around, we are in our tent, see the furs, see the walls, the bed, look into my eyes." 

She looks into my eyes and I can see them begin to clear, but it is still not enough. "Clarke, listen to my voice, the sounds outside of the tent. We are not on Sanctum. Madi is safe and already in Floukru, with Luna and Gaia."

I move her hand to my chest, pulling her close. "Feel that, listen to the sound of my heart beating." 

I feel her hand slip upwards, towards my neck, her fingers pressing to my pulse. I press a kiss to her lips as her breathing finally starts to even out. We sit quietly for a few minutes, her hand never leaving my pulse. The rhythm of the beats seemed to calm her further, as she began to speak. 

"They tortured her Lexa, then they cut off her head. They killed Madi. I lost it, I let Wanheda in." She says, her voice ragged and broken.

"You did what you had to do. I would have done the same. You also changed it. Madi is safe. You did that." I tell her.

"I couldn't save you, then I couldn't save Madi. I couldn't even keep her safe this time. They still got to her." She says.

"Madi is safe now and she will stay that way. Her being safe is because of you." I tell her.

She lays her head against my chest and softly cries. "Shhh, my love. It's all going to be ok."

We lay like that the longest time, till Clarke sits up and pulls away. "Dr Tsing will pay." She says.

"She will pay with her life, jus haknes won't end it. She will have 1000 cuts. She tortured a child, your child and my sister. There won't be any mercy for her." I say.

She looks at me and says, "We need to make sure everyone is ready with the plan. We need to march tonight, Murphy should be in place by now."

After this morning, Clarke needs to rest and so do I, but unfortunately there is no time for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter. Though dealing with a hurt Madi was difficult. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Another special thanks to my good friend Lockie. Without their help this chapter wouldn't be the same, especially the last POV with Lexa.
> 
> Next chapter let's take down a mountain.


	9. Chapter 9 "Plans don't last long in battle"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the battle for the mountain, just slightly differrent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mountain has many moving pieces to it. There are several different POV's to convey everything that is happening. 
> 
> If you ever need a translation, just let me know. 
> 
> My good friend Lockie, deserves much credit as a great beta, I couldn't do it without you. 
> 
> As always, I I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 9 "Plans don't last long in battle" 

Bellamy's POV

Murphy made it in, he refused to take Abby's medicine and is already getting better. With the mountain's med bay full, Dante having people moved to quarantine. This wasn't part of the plan. I am not sure how Clarke will take the news.

Echo and I are in Vincent's home, Vincent himself isn't here, when Emerson comes in. "If your people are going to come, they need to come soon. Dante gave Cage and Tsing the go ahead to start experimenting on your blood." Emerson says.

"When do they start?" I ask him. 

"In a few hours, knowing Tsing, she will have results on their blood by the end of the day. Then they will make them either into a reaper or use their blood to treat our people." He says.

"We can't have that. I am not smart like Clarke and Raven, but they are probably starting the testing because most of the 100 haven't gotten sick. I don't know why and I also don't care. You have to make sure that everything is in place, Emerson. I told you what happens to the earth if our people die. That means your family dies as well. I will call Clarke. It's time to get ready." I say.

"I will make sure my part is done." He says.

Emerson walks out the room and I reach for my radio, "Clarke, are you there?"

"I am here, Bellamy. What is up?" She says.

"Cage and Tsing are going to start testing on our people, today. Dante moved everyone that is sick into quarantine. Clarke, they will have the results from testing by tonight. They won't wait after that." I say.

"Hang tight, we will be there. Raven is shutting down the acid fog now. You stay and watch Skaikru, Echo can watch anyone from the clans. See you tonight." Clarke says and we spring into action.

I turn to Echo and bring her into a searing kiss, "Be safe, call me on the radio if you need me."

"You too, Belomi." She says and heads the opposite direction.

Clarke's POV

"See you, tonight." I say, turning to Lexa as she pulls me into her arms.

"It is time, let's go let everyone know." She says and we walk out of the tent.

As all the warriors come together and Lexa speaks, "People of Skaikru, gonas of the Kongeda, today we march. We fight to take down the Mountain that has haunted us for years. Some in the mountain we need alive, for what is to come. As for those that we don't need, jus drein jus draun. Today we get our people back, both Skaikru and clan."

As the people chant blood must have blood, I give the order, "Kom wor!"

Not long before we make it to the mountain Lexa shakes her head, and says, "You should come with me to Polis. It will change the way your people feel about us."

I smile, squeeze her hand and say, "You already have."

Darkness has settled in as we come to the base of the mountain. Everyone falls into place, Monroe setting the bomb while Raven is at Philpott Dam, anytime now she will set the bombs. She is going a bit overkill this time, she has ten bombs ready to go. 

We get the signal through the radio, four short and three long bursts, though we didn't need it as the ground beneath us grumbles and shakes. I pull Lexa's hand over and place it on top of mine, the one that is on the remote. Now is the time that we will know if Raven fixed the jamming signal.

Lexa looks into my eyes and says, "Ogeda"

We press the button and the light turns green, just as there is a popping noise at the door. Lexa yells at her gonas, "Open the door, we will storm the mountain."

Two warriors attach ropes to the door and it doesn't take long before it opens. Something tells me that something is wrong, but before I can out a warning warriors and Skaikru alike are falling to the ground as bullets rain through the air. Coming around each side of the mountain are two rovers, attached to the roof of each are two high powered machine guns, that could take us all out in seconds, regardless of the armour we are wearing.

My stomach drops, as I see Cage walk out, a gun to Bellamy's head. Dax standing next to him with an evil smirk plastered on his face. "What do you want, Cage?" I growl.

"Seems I found someone you care about. Dax here has been telling me the most interesting things. Things about black blood and healing. He also says we don't need the child. You will be able to heal us, from this sickness that you sent and make sure my people can walk on the ground again. So I propose a deal." Cage says.

I have many questions running through my mind. Where is Echo? "Why would I want to make a deal with you? You took my people." I ask him.

He laughs and says, "You should listen, because you have the power to make sure that no one else dies here today. I will release the savages as a show of faith."

Emerson comes up behind him shaking his head, eyes wide. He schools his features as Cage snaps his fingers. All around us the clan prisoners come flowing out, two carrying a stretcher with Echo on it. Warriors start helping them as they come closer. 

When the last one is completely out I ask, "What is this deal you want to make? What about my people?"

"Your people will be released, upon the last drop of blood that leaves your body. They won't have any other problems from us." He says while smiling.

I know he won't honor it, but it is a deal that I have to take. "I will accept your deal, on one condition." I say.

He is about to speak, when Lexa pulls me back and says, "You can't do this, Clarke. He will kill you. This isn't what we planned. I won't lose you."

I squeeze her hand and say, "Plans rarely last during a battle. I have to do this and you have to let me. Jus drein jus draun, Wamplei gon Maungedakru. May we meet again."

Lexa steps back, looks into my eyes, one tear stuck in her eyelashes, and says, "May we meet again."

Cage scoffs and I turn around. Shaking his head he asks, "What is the condition?"

"Before you release Bellamy, give Dax to the grounders. They deserve their blood. Since they won't get you or your people, give them a traitor that denied them that right. Then I will walk in with you and everyone else will retreat." I say.

Cage looks like he is thinking about it and then he turns and nods to the guard next to Dax. Dax is flung to the ground and I walk up to him and say, "I told you what would happen if you didn't follow my orders. Natrona."

I toss my weapons to the Trikru standing next to Lexa and they pick them up. Turning back to Dax, I drag him up, elbowing him in the groin and shove him into waiting Gustus's arms. "Make it slow, Gustus."

I walk a few feet closer and Emerson takes Bellamy and hands him over to a gona. "I will try and keep her alive as long as I can." He whispers to Lexa as he grabs me by the arms.

Lexa turns and hollers out, "Sound the order for the retreat."

Emerson hits me with his pistol and black blood starts flowing down the side of my head. He tied my wrists together and slipped a blade between the bindings. It is small, but it will do the trick, when the time comes. 

"Take her to medical, I will join you when I am finished with the announcement. Make sure she is fully secured. She is even more lethal than the savages." Cage says and walks away.

Next thing I know I am in the medical wing, Emerson puts me on a bed and straps me down, leaving the straps at my wrists just loose enough to slip out of. "I am sorry, Clarke. I didn't know this was going to happen. We don't have much time. I gave Bellamy a few keycards, they will open any door inside, and the codes to get in from the tunnels. It takes about six hours for Tsing to completely drain someone. Bellamy will have reinforcements here before that happens. For now that is all I can do, but when they get here, I will help." He says.

He turns and walks out the room, another guard taking his place. He turns to me and says, "Don't say anything, when it is time, I will give you a signal." 

He walks back over to the door and stands at attention. Over the speakers we hear Cage, "We have defeated the people from the sky. The blood of their leader will be our salvation. With her blood we will take our rightful place on the ground, making the savages that live there our slaves. This time tomorrow, the process begins. We will be going home."

I knew Cage was full of shit. I will be happy to take my part in his punishment. It doesn't take long before both Cage and Tsing are standing in front of me. "The savages all fled. The commander was never going to help you. She only wanted her people back." He says.

"So you never planned to set my people free?" I say, though I knew that already.

"I have special plans for your people. I will set them free, just as soon as the last drop of your blood is released from your body. I didn't lie about that. In a few hours they will have the first dose of the red, it won't take long. Then I will release them with trackers. They will head straight for the Ark. It will give me the quadrants needed for my missles to take them out." Cage says.

Tsing turns to Cage and asks, "Can I start now, sir? I can't wait to be able to use her blood. It's a pity that we haven't found anyone else with this black blood. It's like nothing else that I have ever seen."

"You can start, but don't put her out. I want her to feel herself get weaker." Cage says.

"That was my plan, her little brat escaped before I could run anymore tests on her. This one won't be so lucky." Tsing says.

"Fine, let me know when you get close. I want to watch as the light goes out of her eyes." Cage says and walks out of the room.

Tsing turns to me and hooks me up, but nothing happens. "I want to talk to you before we begin. If you tell me what I want, then I will convince Dante to take your blood slowly. This way you get to live, so that we can learn more about you." She says.

"Why would I tell you a damn thing? You tortured a child, my child. For that you will die, slowly." I tell her.

"That's no way to talk to someone that is the only one that stands between you and living. Now tell me a bit about yourself." She says.

"You want me to tell you about myself, what the fuck is this a date? Fine, you want to know a few things about me. I am very hard to kill. I have escaped every prison everyone has tried to hold me in. I have killed more people than you can imagine. I will kill you and everyone you know." I growl.

"I really don't see you getting out of this one, but humor me. Tell me numbers, how many have you killed?" She asks. 

I laugh at her say, "I have killed more than 2500 people, destroyed a planet and committed genocide. I will have no issues doing the same to you and all of your people."

"That is not even possible. You can't be more than sixteen or seventeen. Though I believe you have killed a few people. Tell me more though, I like a good story." She says. 

I glance at the clock, it is almost time. It's been three hours since Emerson strapped me to the bed. The grounders should be in the tunnels by now. If they have Octavia with them, she will know exactly where I am. She studied the maps with Raven.

I will keep her talking a bit longer. When it happens she won't know what hit her. "I assure you everything I have said is true. Oh, and in about five minutes I turn eighteen. You want to know what I wanted for my birthday? Do you know what the people you call savages have named me?" I ask her.

The guard starts coughing, pulls out his water bottle, making eye contact with me. Tsing turns to him and asks, "Do we need to send for someone else?"

"No ma'am. My throat just got a little dry. I am fine now." He says.

While Tsing turned away I slipped my hands out of their bindings. She looks at me and asks, "What is it they call you? What is your wish? I might be able to help you with that, or not, seeing as you won't be leaving this room alive."

"My name is Wanheda, the commander of death and my birthday wish is for you to die." I say in a calm voice as she presses a button, my blood now flowing through the tubes.

Before she steps away, I pull her on top of me on the bed, needles pulling out my arm, Emerson's blade at her throat, "You guard, release my ankle bindings or the good doctor will die before it is time."

When he is finished, I take his pistol and ask, "What's your name?"

"Jimmy, Jimmy Dougan. I am on your side. Emerson's wife is my sister. You have saved my family. I will do whatever you ask." He says.

He hasn't fully gained my trust yet, but I will keep a close eye on him. "Good, strap her to the bed, make them tight." I say.

"You know, Clarke, your daughter, so precious, thinking she was protecting her mommy." Tsing taunts.

I smack her face, "I would stop talking now if I was you." I tell her.

She grins and says, "Her screams were delicious, it's a shame that she escaped with the others. We were having so much fun. It's only a matter of time before we find where you have hidden her. I will drain her of her blood for months, till I don't need anymore, then I will feed her to my reapers."

I clench my fists till there is blood dripping down my arm. I see the syringe in the drawer, next to Tetrodotoxin. I smile as I fill the syringe. At least if someone comes to check on her they will think she is dead. I rip the shirt off her arm and plunge the needle in her arm and toss it in the trash. 

"Jimmy, push her into the room with the cages, I want her out of sight for now." I tell him.

When he is finished he turns to me and asks, "Is everything you said to her true? Have you really killed that many people?"

"I have killed that many people, it's a long story, I am trying to do better this time, but my family comes first. Now, we need to leave, I need to get to the command room. Let's go." I tell him.

"That won't be necessary." I hear a voice say behind me say.

I spin around, her eyes look feral as she scans over my body. Blood splattered across her body most of it red. I notice the black blood dripping off her arm onto the floor. I rush to her pulling her through the door. Grabbing the bandages I wrap her wound quickly, where a bullet barely grazed it. 

She leans in, pulling me close, head resting on my shoulder, turning her head to place a kiss on my neck, sending shivers down my spine. "I thought I lost you." She whimpers in my ear.

Lexa's POV

My heart plummets, blood rushing to my ears, when I hear Dante offer Clarke the deal. I knew the moment he opened his mouth that she would take it. I want to tell her no, that we will fight. For a moment, I forgot all about Indra's plan. 

Clarke turns to me and squeezes my hand, I barely hear her words. I blink as memories from another time flood my mind, my knees almost buckling under so much weight, almost in a whisper I say, "May we meet again." 

Her eyes pleading with me to stick to the plan, it hasn't changed much. Clarke will just be in more danger. Emerson's words are a slight comfort to me, it means I have time. I turn around and call for the retreat. 

My body betrays me as I put more distance to the mountain and Clarke, my head swimming as I put one foot in front of the other. We must have walked only about half an hour when one of my generals came up to me, head bowed slightly. "What is it Tristan?"

"Why did she do it, Heda? Why sacrifice herself, knowing that they would kill her and her people?" He asks.

"Clarke, sees both our people as one. She saved those that she could save at the time." I tell him.

"The gonas want to go back, Heda. They want to honour Clarke's sacrifice. Blood must have blood." Tristan says.

I stop, my heart hammering, in ten days, Clarke has done something not many people have done. She has become Trikru, in the hearts of the people. With a tear sliding down my face, I say, "That was always the plan, if a deal was offered. Though we thought that it would be a different deal."

"So what's the plan, Heda?" Tristan asks.

I am about to answer him, when I snap my head up, Anya holding back a struggling Raven, fists clenched at her sides. It is Octavia that comes up to me, head bowed, "What happened, Heda?" She asks.

Clenching my jaw I say, "Clarke took a deal. We were just about to issue the order to go back."

I don't give her any more than that, just thinking about it, I feel the cracks in my heart, a pounding in the left side of my temple, shooting pain down my neck. Clarke is in pain. "Ok, Heda. What next? Do we follow the plan?"

I turn to Tristan and say, "Find your second, he will lead our people that can't fight back down the mountain and keep them safe. Then you will join us. We have little time, if we want to save Wanheda."

Tristan gives me a look of shock, yet doesn't say anything before he turns around to find his second. I motion for Anya to bring over Raven. Before I can say anything, Raven beats me to it, "What are you going to do about Clarke?"

I am glad she didn't totally disrespect me in front of my gonas, "We are going back. I am going to get her back."

Tristan, Ryder, Indra, Lincoln, and Gustus join us, and I speak, "Raven, you and Anya will find Monty and head towards the control room. Clarke won't be there, if they want her blood, she will be with Tsing."

Raven pales, but nods her head. Pulling out my map, I point to Quarantine, "Indra, you, Gustus and Lincoln will head to Quarantine. Emerson will help you weed out the ones loyal to the Wallace's. Those will die, both Wallace's will be ours. Tsing is mine and Clarke's."

I turn to Ryder and Tristan, pointing to a spot on the map, "This is where they store the missles, kill anyone that is there and secure it. Raven will destroy them when she has the chance."

I turn to Octavia and say, "Clarke has told me of all your skills, including the ability to be invisible, striking only when necessary. That might be a skill that is needed to save Clarke. She will be with Tsing in the medical wing, you will join me. It will be just the two of us."

Gustus looks at me and says, "Heda, no. Let me gather a few gonas to help you."

This is something that I have to do on my own. We don't know what we will find and how it might break me. I shake my head, "No, Gostos. We need stealth, the way to medical will be the most heavily guarded. Hopefully, we can get in and out with not many seeing us. Part of the way, we will use the air vents."

"Sha, Heda. I understand." Gustus says.

I know he does, I have to save my own, Nomon and Nontu would have understood as well. I turn to everyone. "Your groups will be made up of twenty-five gonnas. Gather your gonnas. We will head back in ten minutes."

As the gonnas assemble in front of me, I swallow and go to speak, "Clarke kom Skaikru en Trikru, Wanheda, has sacrificed everything for all of us. We leave now to rescue Wanheda. Jus drein jus draun. Clarke's last words before she left us were wamplei Gon Maungedakru. Let's make her words come true."

All around me I hear chants of "Wanheda" and "jus drein jus draun". The air is charged, in all my wars and battles, I have never felt such entensity from my gonas as I do now. They love her, they would die for her and never look back. I swallow hard, I just hope we make it back in time. 

As we enter the mountain, using Emerson's codes, we split up and Octavia leads me to the air ducts, "I hate tight places, growing up under the floor is not something that I recommend." She says.

I squeeze her shoulder and say, "No one should have had to live like that, but it has made you one of the strongest, bravest warriors that I have ever met." 

She nods at me with a smile and we make our way through the vents, silently. We steadily make our way to level three, where medical is. Octavia stops and whispers, so low that I can barely hear her, "This is our stop, Heda. Looks like we have company though, maybe thirty. Only about ten have guns, they are on the right side of the room." 

I take a deep breath, this is the way back to Clarke. There could be a hundred warriors in my way, and it wouldn't stop me. I whisper back to her, "On three, won, tu, thri."

Octavia kicks the vent open, and springs out, rolling to her knees, her sword out, already slashing through her enemies. I am just a split second later, both swords twirling through the air, fast as lightning. 

As the last guy that appears to have a weapon falls to the ground, Octavia and I turn as one on the other occupants of thesecond for them to rush us and mere moments to finish them all. 

As we turn the corner to the next hall I hear the shot, a searing pain in my right arm, as a bullet flies through my flesh. With low growl, my left hand already raised, I let my dagger fly, Octavia's already embedded into the heart of one guard, as mine hits it's target. It slides through his left eye and out the back of his neck, skidding across the floor. 

Octavia whistles as she hands me back Clarke's dagger. "Nice throw Heda. Medical should be through these doors."

I slide the dagger back into its sheath, and close my eyes for a moment. Octavia puts her hand on my shoulder and squeezes. Not many people would dare to touch me, but I find myself taking an odd comfort in her gesture. 

"Heda, Clarke will be fine. She's the strongest person that I know. Everything she has been through, she has bent, but never broke. Sometimes I think she is invincible, it would take a lot to stop her. The mountain couldn't even come close to taking her out." She says, as she moves her hand from my shoulder.

We open the doors, poised and ready for a fight, but there is only a silence that would haunt the strongest of warriors. Inside the room, there are seven beds with straps attached to them, with one spot at the end on the left side empty, where one would assume that another bed would be. 

We slowly walk towards the end of the line, my eyes wide, taking the scene before me. On the wall, near the floor, there are splatters of red blood as well as a spray of black blood. That isn't what scares me though, it is the large pool of blood near the corner, it is all black blood. 

I know Clarke was here, but where is she now and how bad is she hurt? "Heda, that isn't much blood, it won't faze Clarke a bit."

We follow the drops of blood to another door off to the side of the room. It is there that I hear the most beautiful sound. Clarke's voice resonates throughout the next room, strong and steady. "Now we have to leave. I have to get to the command center. Let's go."

I open the door and say, "That won't be necessary."

She turns around quickly and I scan her body, looking for any injuries. She has a few splatters of red blood across her chest, dried black blood along the side of her head, stopping just below the collar of her armour. Her shirt is ripped from the shoulder down her arm, black blood almost dry where it flowed freely down it. 

I lean in, pulling her close to my body, as I lay my head on her shoulder, feeling her pulse beat strongly against her neck, as I kiss it ever so gently, I whisper in her ear, "I thought I lost you."

Anya's POV

I glance at Raven as she is leading me swiftly through the tunnels under the mountain. She is like a demon possessed and I have never seen anything so beautiful. We head towards the end of the hall and she stops. "Ok, when we go through this door, we have to be ready for anything." She says.

I pull out my swords and say, "I know, Raven. Why are we stopping? There isn't much time."

"I need to contact Monty on the radio." She says pulling out her radio and pushing the button on the side, three times, then holds it down for a count of four. 

After a minute, we hear a voice on the other end of the radio, "Clarke, what is it? I am on my way to the command room, Jasper is headed towards quarantine, where they moved Maya an hour ago."

Raven shakes her head and says, "It's not Clarke. There has been a change in plans. They have Clarke. I will be meeting you in the command room."

"Oh shit. Ok, I will be there in five minutes." Monty says. 

Raven turns to me and says, "When we open the door, we will turn right, at the end of the hall we will get on the elevator by swiping this card. We will then hit the button that says four on it. When the door opens we turn left, at the end of the hall we make a right, and at the end of that hall we will see a door that says command room. We use the card again to open the door."

This is wasting time, "Why are you telling me this?" I ask her.

"I um, if I should fall, I want you to leave me, protect Monty at all costs. He will need it more than me." She says.

I gently place my hand on her cheek, lean in and barely brush my lips against hers and say, "I will never leave you, Raven. Anyone that tries to harm you will meet their end by my blade."

One tear flows down her cheek as she briefly closes her eyes. I see the pain in her brown eyes, as I gently wipe it away. There is a new shift in her stance as she stands up straight and turns to the door. Someone hurt her and I will be damned if I let anyone else hurt her ever again.

She punches in some numbers and the door opens. We step into the hall and right in front of us are two guards, stepping in front of her I kick the first one in the chest, his gun flying down the hall. 

I turn back, slashing one sword across the others chest, blood spraying across my face. Not wasting a second of time I twist my body bringing my other sword straight down into the neck of the first one.

We make a right turn and head down the hall towards the elevator. Raven opens the door and I step in front of her, a woman, her eyes wide. As she reaches for a button inside of the elevator, I push her back, jamming my sword into her rib cage.

I was too slow, hearing a shrill alarm ring out through the halls. I pull Raven in the elevator quickly and hit the number four. "Jok, we need to hurry." I say.

The elevator stops and the doors slide open, Raven at my back as I peer out of the doors. I don't see anyone and I gently grab her hand pulling her out. We make a left and I hear two shots ring out, one whizzing by my head so close that I feel the air from it. It is then that I hear a cry beside me and something snaps deep inside me.

I look up and with a loud growl I send both swords flying. One hits a woman on the right side, the other hitting the man next to her, embedding itself into his chest.

Forgetting about my swords for a moment I grab my dagger and reach down towards Raven. Blood is running down her cheek, where one bullet barely grazed her cheek. I reach down and she whimpers, clutching her right arm. "Leave me, find Monty." She says.

I pull her up, fully supporting her weight as she is already losing consciousness. "I already told you, I am never leaving you." I tell her. 

I hear footsteps running down the hall, they suddenly stop and I hear a shuffle and a body thud to the floor. I gently lay Raven down on the floor, put my dagger away and grab my swords.

At the first hint of a guard uniform I run my sword through the chest of the man coming around the corner. I glance around the corner and see an elderly man, white very thin hair, leaning down over a boy laying on the floor. His gun pointed at his head, it can only be Monty. 

I pull back sheathing my swords and grab two daggers, flinging the first one. As it hits his hand, knocking the gun away, my other dagger makes its way into his back. He slumps over, not making another sound. 

Monty looks at me with shocked eyes, but still manages to speak, "Where is Raven?" He asks.

I grab my daggers and slide them back home, before saying, "Get the door open, I will bring her."

I turn quickly and make my way back to her, placing my finger against her neck, I feel a strong pulse and sigh deeply in relief. I gently pull her into my arms and scoop her up. I turn the corner, glad to see Monty has the door open.

I walk in carrying Raven and gently lay her down. As the door closes, I lay her down. Monty's whole face pales as he asks, "Is she going to be ok?"

I glance at his shirt and say, "She will be ok, but I need your shirt, for some bandages."

He wastes no time handing it over, as I am ripping his shirt up into bandages I ask him, "You know what Clarke had planned right? Can you do it?"

"Yes, I can. I am the one that did it last time." He says.

"Good, get it started, we set off the alarm. I am sure we don't have much time." I tell him. 

As soon as he touches the computer, fingers flying faster than I can see, I turn back to Raven. Ever so gently I start wrapping her wounds. I know the bullet has to come out, but I have no idea how to do that without damaging her more, so I will settle on stopping the bleeding.

I look up when I hear that he has stopped. "Why have you stopped?"

"It is ready, but Clarke and the commander are about to walk into a trap." He says.

I look at the screen and see what he is looking at. "Stop them, they have a radio." I tell him.

He hits a button and the alarms stop. He grabs his radio and pushes the button and pushes it, holding it in for about ten counts. I see Clarke and Lexa stop in their tracks. Clarke leads Lexa to a room off the hall and opens a vent and they crawl in. I see Octavia in there with them.

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. Next thing I know I hear Clarke on the radio, "Monty, what is going on?" She says.

"You were walking into an ambush, looks like fifty guards and Cage. Dante is dead, Raven is hurt and everything else is ready." Monty says in a shaky rush.

"Is everyone else in quarantine?" Clarke asks.

Monty quickly goes through different images on the screen. "Everyone but Maya, but she is ok. She is in a suit and it looks like Jasper has a bag full of oxygen for her." He says.

"Ok, Monty. I never wanted to ask you to do this, but it needs to be done and I am nowhere close. I need you to do it." Clarke says.

Monty is visibly shaking as he says, "Ok, Clarke."

I watch him as he reaches for the lever, tears flowing down his cheeks. I reach over and remove his hand. "This is not a job for you, goufa. Your job is done. I've got this one."

I place my hand on the lever and pull it back slowly. As screams feel the speakers I look over at Monty as he sags to the floor. As the screams stop, I grab the radio, glad Raven showed me how to use it. "It is done, Clarke."

Clarke comes on and asks, "Is Monty ok?"

"The boy is fine. I handled it. Raven will also be ok." I tell her.

"Ok, Anya. Look on the screen and tell me, how many are waiting with Cage now?" She asks.

"There are two. Cage and two other guards." I tell her.

"We will take care of them. You take care of Raven and Monty." She says.

I step away from the computer, kneeling in front of Monty I put my hand on his shoulder and squeeze, "This is not on you, boy. Those people died because they would have never stopped. This is my weight to shoulder, not yours."

"I know, I just wish it didn't have to be that way. Some people just never give up." Monty says.

"I know kid, maybe one day the people will choose peace. Until that day, we will fight to make sure that they don't harm anyone else." I tell him.

I hear a groaning and make my way over to Raven. I reach down and touch her cheek, as she slowly opens her eyes. "I told you to leave me." She says.

I smile and say, "And I told you, that I was never leaving you."

I lean down and kiss her cheek, where the bullet grazed her. Pulling back I lay my forehead against hers. She looks into my eyes, swallows and says, "Anya, I um, I like you, I really do. I, it's just that I am not ready to be with anyone, not yet."

My heart drops for just a moment, until I see the haunted look in her eyes. "It's ok, Raven. I understand. You don't have to say anything or do anything. Just know, when you are ready, I am here, I am yours. You are worth waiting for. I will wait forever for you."

Clarke's POV

I look over at Octavia and Lexa and say, "Ok, we want Cage alive, so here is the plan."

We leave Octavia, and head to the door. Before we get there Lexa pulls me to her arms, one hand caressing my cheek, the other at my waist. She leans in pressing her lips to mine. I melt into her, my tongue swiping against her lips. She opens her mouth and our tongues form a dance of their own.

After a minute, she pulls back, her head resting on mine as we catch our breaths. "I love you, Clarke."

I pull back, even more, looking into her eyes, "I love you, too, Lexa. I always have."

I grab her hand, entwining our fingers as we open the door, daggers ready. We turn the corner, seeing that Octavia is right above Cage, we let our daggers fly at the same time Octavia makes her leap. Guns skittering across the floor, both daggers land in the chests of the guards. Octavia straddling Cage with hers at his neck.

"Cage." I growl.

"What have you done?" He asks.

As I am walking towards him, Lexa at my side, I falter, just a bit. I shake my head and say, "I saved my people. You know, the ones that you wanted to kill. I saved all my people. The clans and all Arcadians. Yours didn't fare so well."

"You would kill the people that had the right to walk the earth. It doesn't belong to you or your savages. It belonged to us." 

"That is where you are wrong, Cage. The earth belongs to us all. Your people, the ones that understand that will walk it with us, side by side. You on the other hand, will pay for your crimes. Crimes against all humanity. I have spoken. I am Wanheda, the commander of death. Your death will be long and painful, as were the deaths that you caused in this life. Wamplei kom thauz kodon." I say as Gustus and Ryder walk into the room.

Behind them, there must be fifty gonas. As one they all kneel, heads bowed so low that they touch the floor. I glanced at Lexa, the shock clearly on my face. She smiles, nods at me and I say, "Rise."

They all all rise, the looks on their faces are one of reverence, it is like nothing I have ever seen before. Gustus is the one that speaks, "The mountain is yours Wanheda. What are your orders?"

I look at him and say, "For now, leave the bodies of the mountain men. This one, this one gets locked up in a cage. Help the prisoners, set up camp outside. Tristan, find the command room and bring the people there to medical. Ryder, find Lincoln, have him meet us in medical. Octavia, you're with us. That is all." I say.

I hear a round of, "Sha, Wanheda." As they turn and leave the room.

I reach down and pull out my radio, "Mom, it is time. You might want to hurry, Maya didn't make it to Quarantine. I am not sure how much air she will have."

I grab Lexa's hand as we walk out of the room, Octavia following. As we leave, I make the mistake of looking into the eyes of some of the people. They are mostly one big mass, blood flowing out of their ears and eyes, skin melting into the floor. One thing I am glad about this time, is that there are no children mixed in. 

We take the elevator down to the third floor, and walk into medical. Before the others arrive I have to check on Tsing. Sadly we lost Jimmy, he jumped in front of me, a bullet meant for my head hitting his heart. His last words were to take care of his family and I intend to.

We open the doors and see that Tsing is waking up. I look down at dad's watch, it has been another seven hours since I took Tsing. She looks at me and says, "If it isn't the person that killed everyone in the mountain. Oops you missed one. I will have to make my escape and find your daughter."

I growl as I lunge at her, knife in hand. I never make it, as Lexa has me wrapped in her arms. "She will receive her justice. That I promise you, my love, just not like this." She says.

"You know, I think that death by 1000 cuts it's not quite enough for the atrocities that she committed." Octavia says from behind me.

Lexa loosens her grip on me and we turn as one. "Explain, Octavia?" Lexa asks.

"Growing up on the Ark as I did, most of my learning came from books. I devoured them. In one of them it was about all different types of torture."

I look at Octavia and ask, "What are you thinking, Octavia?"

"I think she should have death by 1000 cuts, but only after she suffers the pain of all that she tortured. She tortured a Madi, who knows how many more she hurt. There is one torture that is long and painful. It's called Bamboo torture." She says.

I smile and say, "I have heard of that. It is fitting that she turns into an experiment."

Lexa looks lost as she asks, "What exactly is bamboo torture?"

"Bamboo is a thick reed, almost like a small tree branch. We have some seeds on the Ark. We would cut her open, planting the seeds in her arms and her legs. After time, the bamboo grows, pushing itself out of her body. Every move she makes would be filled with pain. When it is time, we would then kill her, this time with death by 1000 cuts." I say.

Each word out of my mouth causes Tsing to lose the color in her face even more. "It shall be done then." Lexa says.

We wheel a silent Tsing back into medical, just as the others make their way in. Anya carrying Raven, like she might break. "Place her on the bed. I will help her." I say.

As she lays her on the bed, she pulls her fingers up, just barely brushing them with her lips. I share a quick glance at Lexa and begin. Her injuries are not too bad. It takes me no time at all to remove the bullet and bandage it. 

I turn to Anya and say, "I really don't want her alone, though she will be fine, but I need to check on everything else."

Anya looks down at Raven before she says, "She won't be alone. You can do what you need to. I have her radio, if you are needed."

I nod and turn to Octavia and Lincoln, "You two should find somewhere and get some rest. Tomorrow will be busy."

"Ok, Clarke, call us on the radio if you need anything." Octavia says as they leave the room hand in hand.

I take Lexa's hand and we walk out through the back, straight out the tunnels. As we step out, I notice it is dark outside. I see Lexa's tent in the distance. Taking a deep breath I head towards it, not making it more than a few feet before my knees buckle under me. 

Lexa's catches me before I fall, scooping me up into her arms. I panic, "Lexa put me down, your people can't see me being so weak."

"Shh, my love. Our people will never see you as weak." She says.

"Lexa, but." I try to say before she puts a finger to my lips and smiles.

We have already made it inside and she gently lays me on the bed. "Shh, my love. We will talk in the morning. You need rest."

I pull on her hand, pulling her down next to me. As she pulls me in her arms my head lays down on her chest, eyes already closing.


	10. Chapter 10 "Let the punishment fit the crime."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So its time to decide the fate of the remaining mountain men. Then there are two feasts. Oh and an incident in Skaikru, dealing with a grounder, what fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. As usual, I give thanks to my friend Lockie, for reading it over and making sure that I didnt make any stupid mistakes.

Chapter 10 "Let the punishment fit the crime."

Clarke's POV

I wake up, reaching over I feel the cold furs and frown. At some time, Lexa got up and is already gone. Swinging my legs over the bed, groaning and stretching, I stand up, legs a bit shaky. It's amazing that I didn't have any dreams last night.

I looked at the watch on my wrist, I had it around one of my daggers to give to a Gona before accepting the deal. I didn't think I would get it back so soon, but thinking about it, I smiled at the thought of her wearing it. Lexa was wearing it when she found me inside of the mountain.

It's after ten in the morning, I never sleep in anymore. I notice my swords and daggers on the table, sliding my last dagger home, I feel arms wrap around my back. "You could have slept longer, my love."

"I never sleep past the sunrise. I guess it's time to meet with Indra." I say.

"Indra can wait a bit. Come, I have breakfast." She says, kissing the back of my neck, sending shivers down it.

She takes my hand in hers and leads me to the table. We finish eating quickly and head to the makeshift war tent. I notice a few people missing, "Where are Ryder and Gustus?" I ask.

Indra looks at me and says, "They are guarding the missles, until Raven can take a look at them tomorrow."

"Where is Anya and Raven?" I ask.

Lexa takes my hand and kisses my fingertips before saying, "Anya is with Raven in the medical wing. Raven will be fine, she caught a bullet in her arm. Your mom says she needs to rest today. They will join us tonight for the punishments. Tomorrow, if she takes it easy, she can work on the missles, with some help. Anya says she will keep her from doing too much."

"Ok, what of the numbers?" I ask.

Tristan steps forward and says, "We lost a hundred and fifty-three gonas. Many have simple injuries, most won't take but a few days to heal. Skaikru lost eighty-three, Wanheda."

Tristan steps back and I ask, "How about the mountain men? How many survived? How many prisoners do we have?"

Indra steps forward this time and says, "We saved all the children. We lost three out of the people that helped us and four of the people that you wanted to take prisoner, the ones that know tek. Dante was killed by Anya, while saving Raven and Monty. Maya, who didn't make it to quarantine, was sent back to the Ark, with Jasper. She is in the airlock, already receiving treatment."

A single tear collects on my eyelash, but doesn't fall. "How many prisoners do we have ready for punishment?"

"There are ten that received Madi's blood. Tsing, Cage, and eight guards." Indra says.

I close my eyes for a second, and say, "So that means that we took out 293 people, in the attack alone. Now as for their punishments, if Heda agrees, I think the eight guards shall die from a bullet in the head."

Tristan clenches his fist and growls, "They deserve our punishment. We are owed the pain that was caused to our people."

"You shall receive it, I am not done. Cage will receive death of 1000 cuts. Tsing, deserves more. She will receive 1000 cuts, but not before she feels the pain others felt, when she made them part of her experiments. We will make her our lab rat first." I say.

I go on to explain the torture method and Tristan seems pleased. Lexa looks up and says, "Let the punishment fit the crime. These punishments will stand. Wanheda will lead the punishments, for without her and her people, the mountain would still be a threat."

Tristan bows his head to both of us and asks, "Is that all, Heda, Wanheda?

"I want both of you to clear the bodies out of the mountain, see that there are funeral Pyres built for the ceremony tonight. Set up the poles for the punishments. Tomorrow, I want the mountain cleaned, make sure it looks like nothing occurred there. We will eventually need it. That is all. Gon we." Lexa says.

"Sha, Heda." They both say as they walk out the tent.

Lexa pulls me into her arms, kissing the top of my head before resting hers there. "Come, my love. We will check on your mom and Raven. Your mom also has the status of the reapers."

Lexa pulls back, taking my hand in hers and we walk towards the mountain, the door standing open. Taking the elevator to level three makes it quicker to get to our destination. Soon as I walk into the room, I see Anya talking quietly to Raven, while running her thumb across her hand.

I walk over to them and give Raven a hug, as she takes her hand back from Anya. "How are you feeling, Raven?"

"I am good, but I need to go take care of those missiles. I have too much work to do, to be just laying around." She says, her eyes pleading with mine.

I shake my head, she's stubborn as ever. "Raven, you were shot. Rest today and you can order others around tomorrow. No lifting for a few weeks. I am sure Anya can help you with some things." I tell her.

"Clarke, please. I am useless just laying here." Raven whines.

"Not happening, Reyes. Also, you are the least useless person I ever met. You will be joining us tonight for punishments tonight, as well as a feast." I say.

"A feast? I guess I can rest till then, if there is alcohol involved." She says hopefully.

"There is alcohol, unfortunately you can't have any. Seems mom has you on some pain meds." I tell her.

"Oh, I like challenges. Sure, Clarke." Raven says while grinning.

Mom comes in at this time, comes over and hugs me. "I am glad you are ok. We were worried when we heard you took that deal." She says.

She pulls back and I see the sadness flash in Lexa's eyes for just a moment. "I am fine mom, just a bit tired. It's been a long few days, but I don't see that changing much, at least not right now."

Mom glances at mine and Lexa's hands entwined together and says, "I suppose you are not here to talk about you."

"No we aren't." I tell her.

Mom glances around the room and asks, "Do we need to talk somewhere else?"

Shaking my head, I take a seat, Lexa sitting down next to me. "We can talk here, Dr. Griffin." Lexa says.

Mom smiles and says, "You can call me Abby, commander."

Lexa smiles back at her, glances at me and says, "Only if you call me Lexa."

I can see mom isn't letting the past get in the way of the future. It is something that is good to see. "We came here to see how things are going, mom." I say.

Mom nods and says, "Some of your people are in beds with restraints, in the next room. We added extra restraints, as a few were breaking free. We only have so many beds though. As there are close to two hundred that were turned into reapers we have to keep some in cages, to wait for treatment. We are having to give them the red, to keep them alive till we can help them." 

"That is for the best, Abby. I will make sure I have guards stationed to help you with them. How long do you think it will take to help them all?" Lexa asks.

"I need about three to four days for each. I didn't expect this many. We have ten beds and are moving a few from other areas of the mountain. So we should be able to help about twenty or so at a time. So I would say about a month, same with the mountain men. However, there will be some that we won't be able to help, the ones that have been on the red the longest." Mom says.

"I am sure you will do your best, Abby. Even if only one survived, that is still more than has ever made it before. Our people appreciate the help." Lexa says.

"Thank you, Lexa. We will do what we can." Mom says.

"Mom, what about the mountain men, the children?" I ask her.

"Last time they used our bone marrow. This time, we are treating them with synthesized black blood, mixed with red blood. This ensures that no one has to suffer any side effects from donating. It is a longer process, but pretty painless. I expect that they can start having minimal time outside within the next few weeks and within the month, be fully cured." Mom says.

"Thank you, Abby I don't expect you to come out for the punishments, but afterwards, there is going to be a feast. Please, take some time to relax and enjoy. I know how busy you will be in the next few weeks." Lexa says.

"I might just do that, Lexa. That is if there isn't an emergency and I am needed." Mom says.

"It's ok, to switch mom. Jackson is here. We will be going to talk to the ones in quarantine and taking a rest before tonight. I will see you there." I say, while walking out the door.

We walk back down the hall and into the elevator. As soon as we are inside, Lexa kisses me gently on the lips and pushes the button to level five. Emerson is there with a few guards watching him. I walk down the hall and speak into the speakers. 

"People of the mountain, I am Clarke Griffin, of the Ark. You are all that is left of your people. Some of you, the children were innocent. Others helped us free our people from your leaders. We appreciate it. You will be cured first." I tell them.

It is Vincent that speaks for his people, "Clarke, we know of you from Bellamy and Emerson. We know what is coming soon. We just have a few questions."

"Now, is the time to ask any questions." I say.

"First, is my daughter ok?" He asks.

"Maya couldn't make it to quarantine, but she is fine. Jasper got her into a suit and had plenty of air. If he had brought her back here, we couldn't have put her in the rooms with your people. The air was already contaminated. He took her to the Ark, where there is an airlock, so that she is safe. She will be getting the same treatments as the rest of your people. You can talk to her in a few weeks through the radio and see her in about a month." I tell him.

"Thank you, Clarke. I am happy as long as she is safe. Jasper will take care of her. Ok, now some are wondering about the others you saved. What happens to them?" He asks.

The way he asks tells me that it isn't him that wants to know. "They were saved because of their skills. We will need them to try and stop the power plants plants from destroying the earth. They will be treated with the rest of you. However, if they want to live afterwards, the choice is theirs. They join us or die. It is that simple." I say.

"What does joining you actually mean?" He asks.

"You will either become one of the Skaikru or you will join a clan. BThere are no more mountain people. You will have to learn new skills, share your knowledge, and be a productive member of whatever kru you decide to join. If not, you will be banished, and you have no chance at survival." I say.

"I think that is more than fair, given that our people have caused so much harm. Until we are given the choice to join a clan, my people have elected for me to speak on their behalf. You are in charge, we will follow your orders. We just have one more question. What punishment was decided for those you took prisoner?" He asks.

I pinch my nose, feeling a headache coming on. Lexa places her hand on my back and I calm down some. "Dante Wallace is dead. Cage Wallace, will face death by 1000 cuts. Dr. Tsing will face bamboo torture, followed by death of 1000 cuts. The other eight prisoners will face death by a single bullet. There is no negotiating the punishments. They are well earned for the over fifty years your people tortured and killed others." I tell them.

Lexa steps forward and says, "I am Lexa kom Trikru, commander of all the clans. Before I became commander, anyone committing crimes of the nature your people have, would have resulted in the punishment of 1000 cuts to everyone. Your people would truly be wiped out. I believe that we shouldn't destroy a whole people for the crimes of a few. The guilty though, deserves a punishment that fits the crime. Your people will have nothing to fear from mine, as long as you don't attack us."

"Thank you, commander, Clarke. It is more than fair. Hopefully, we can talk more in the future. I know you are both busy." Vincent says.

"Of course, Vincent. I think it would actually be good. We can talk about what happened in the past and what we hope to accomplish for the future. Tonight we are having a ceremony for those that have died. I wish you could all attend, but I will have someone tape it and translate for you. Your people are being handled respectfully." I tell him.

"Thank you, Clarke. I know that is more than we deserve." He says.

"None of us deserve better. Though we can always strive to do better." I tell him and we walk out the room.

We don't stop until we hit Lexa's tent. After Lexa sits down, I start pacing. Lexa gets up and pulls me in her arms. "Clarke, we should rest. A feast usually goes on till the pyres die out." She says.

I lean my head on her shoulder and just breath in. I pull back and we start removing our weapons, followed by our warpaint. She gently lays me in the bed and wraps her arms around me, pulling me close. I lay my head on her chest and say, "I am not sure how much I can rest, there is just so much on my mind."

She kisses the top of my head and says, "It's the punishments, they weigh on your mind."

"They do, you were right though, it should be me that announces them. I am the one that set them, so I should follow through with letting the people know why." I say.

"We can finish them together. We both share that burden. That isn't all that is bothering you though." She says.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, before saying, "I would like that. You're also right about my mind. So much is running through it right now."

"You are not alone, my love. You can tell me anything." Lexa says.

"The deaths, in battle and the executions, they stay with me. I still carry those of the past, as well as those of today. Sometimes I think that they stain my soul. It is just part of me, that won't go away. Then there is everything else. There is so much that has to be done and I am not sure if we will have time to get it all taken care of."

Lexa kisses my shoulder and says, "Things that we do to save our people, those that we love, they don't make us who we are. I look at you, I feel you in my dreams, and I know. I know your heart and soul is pure. We are so much more than what we have had to do to survive."

She starts running her hands through my hair, massaging my scalp. "Bellamy said something once. Who we are and what we need to do to survive does not define us. It's just so hard sometimes. I have been responsible for so many deaths, some innocent and some guilty. I should tell you about Madi. It was all my fault." I say.

The tent flaps open, staying just outside of the sleeping partition, Indra speaks, "Heda, Clarke, I am sorry, but it is time."

Lexa helps me up and says, "We will be right out. Make sure Skaikru is there, at least the ones that are here."

We quickly put our weapons in place. Lexa turns to me, taking my cheek in her hand, leans in and kisses me gently. "We will talk more, but not tonight. We will do what we have to, and then we will feast."

We walk out the tent and much has changed in the few hours that we have been inside. Ten poles are set up for the executions. Behind them are the funeral pyres, five in total. I close my eyes and walk over to the platform, the Trikru have constructed.

Trikru gonas bring out Cage, Tsing, and the guards. They make quick work tying them to the pole. The crowd is deafening. Lexa raises her hand and all is quiet again.

"People of the Kongeda, our friends the Skaikru, today is the day we end the tyranny that has plagued us for more than fifty years. The mountain as we once knew it, is no more. The punishment should fit the crime. Wanheda, commander of death has set the punishment for each of our prisoners and I have agreed." Lexa's voice rings out.

Lexa steps back and I take her place, "I will start with the guards. These eight men followed all of their leaders orders, without mercy. They will die with a bullet to the head. Cage Wallace, the most cruel of all of the mountain's leaders, will face Wamplei kom thauz kodon."

I glance over at Tsing, clench my fists so hard that blood starts flowing down my arm, as I raise my hand and point her out, "This woman was the greatest weapon the mountain has ever produced. She is the one that made it possible for your people to be drained of all life. She threw her victims out like they were trash."

I pause a moment, taking a deep breath, "She didn't stop there, she turned your strongest warriors into monsters and still that wasn't enough for her. She tortured and killed many people, including children. We will turn her into one of her experiments. We will first make four deep cuts, down the length of her arms and legs. There we will plant bamboo seeds, they will grow until they are growing out her body. It will be then and only then that she will follow her leader in death."

The crowd is silent after I speak. I am not sure what to make of it. Lexa and I walk down the platform and head over to the guards together. I pull out my gun, walking up to the first guard, wasting no time, I shoot him between the eyes. Down the line, I do the same. 

When I get to Cage I holster my gun on my hip and pull out my dagger. Stepping up to him I slice into his right shoulder, running my blade all the way down to where his left hip. The cut is shallow but painful. 

Lexa comes up behind me and I hand her the dagger. She walks up to him and starts at his left shoulder, ending at his right hip, making the perfect X. "For my family and my people." She says as we both step back.

She hands the dagger off to Gustus and we step back. It takes a few hours for everyone to receive their justice. I had to stop twice, in order to make sure he didn't bleed out too fast. When Artigas steps up and takes the last cut, Lexa holds her hand up and we step forward.

She pulls out her sword, the one I gave her and I place my hand on top of her as we both push it into his heart. Sheathing the sword, I take my dagger from Artigas, as Lexa pulls hers out.

Two warriors untie Tsing and stretch her out between her pole and Cages, laying her on her back. Lexa moves to her right side and I move to her left. Working quickly, we make our cuts. Indra brings us the seeds and we embed them, five for each arm and ten for each leg.

When we are finished, Lexa calls out, "It is finished."

I turn to Indra and say, "Take her to my mom. She can see her up to stop the bleeding and make sure she doesn't die. Make sure she doesn't use pain meds. Tsing will feel all the pain of her victims."

"Sha, Wanheda." She says as she has two warriors take Tsing away.

Lexa pulls me back to the tent and over to the table, where there is a bowl of water. She gently cleans my face and hands. When she is finished I do the same, before we reapply our warpaint. She pulls me in her arms, and we just hold each other for a moment, and there is no need for words.

I pull away and we both walk back outside, just in time to see Indra walk out of the mountain. She makes her way over to us and we walk together, past the Cage and the guards. We come up to the funeral Pyres and Lexa leans over and whispers in my ear. "Indra will lead the ceremony."

Warriors grab Cage and the guards, laying on top of the pyres. Raven and Anya are in the back of the crowd, while Raven is making use of a tablet to film the ceremony. 

Indra steps up and speaks to the crowd, "Tonight we cleanse the pain of the past, by bringing together our people and our enemy."

She points to the Pyres and says, "These are our people and our enemies. Their fight is over. From the earth we will grow. From the ashes we will rise."

I am glad Indra spoke in English, this way the maunon will understand. Torches are handed out to a few warriors as well as one to me. Together Lexa and I step up to the Pyres and light them. Lexa speaks, "Yu gonplei ste odon."

"Your fight is over, may we meet again." I say.

We stand there in silence for about thirty minutes before Indra speaks again. "Their fight is over, may we meet them in the next life. We have many battles left on our road to peace. However, I have no doubts about our leaders seeing that through to fruition. Together they have defeated the mountain. There is nothing they can't accomplish together. For now, let us rejoice in the fact that this battle is won. Let the feast begin."

Lexa leads us past the row of pyres, as they burn brightly in the night. She guides me to a table, pulls out a chair, and I sit down. She leans over and says, "Now we eat. When we are finished, there will be music, dancing and drinking. It will go on till the early hours of the morning, but we only have to stay a few hours after we finish eating. We can retire to our tent when you are ready."

"I am already tired, but last time, we never participated in a feast. Indra told me about festivals you normally have two times a year. One at the beginning of winter and the other at the beginning of the planting season." I say as we start eating and everyone around us does the same.

Lexa squeezes my hand under the table and as she stops chewing says, "This is nothing. This feast is because of the defeat of the mountain. We have three festivals, The Spring Festival, The Harvest Festival, and The Winter Festival. With everything that is to happen, I am not sure if we will be able to have them this year. You would love them."

"Maybe one day, when our job is finished. For now though, I will take this. Both of our people, working together and enjoying time together. What's the last feast you remember?" I ask her. 

She sighs and says, "I have been to many feasts. There are a few from the last timeline that I remember. None of the three turned out how I would have liked."

I squeeze her hand and say, "Tell me about them."

"The first one was supposed to be your first one. The one that was interrupted. The one we would have had to celebrate our first alliance. You drinking from that bottle scared me." She says.

After taking a drink of ale, I say, "It wasn't your fault. Truth, I was only 75% sure it wasn't poisoned. What about the next one?"

"After the mountain, when I took the deal, my people still expected a feast of victory. I sat at the table, people congratulating me, while I just picked at my food. There wasn't anything that I wanted to celebrate. I left my tent, where Nyko and Indra joined me. It is where they learned why I took the deal and why it fully entailed." She says.

I close my eyes, I am way over it, but she does have me wondering. "What do you mean by that? Why was Nyko there?" I ask.

"Watching almost four hundred of my warriors die by their bullets was tough. I was already injured at the time. That made me think about the deal, but it wasn't what made me take it. Emerson pointed out the ten guns pointed at you. The deal was for my people to leave safely and for you to be left alone. I was hoping you would leave and we could destroy them at another time." She says.

Lexa finishes off her drink and continues, "I should have known you would have found a way in. A scout found us just as we made it to Ton Dc. When I found out what had happened, that is when I left the feast. I knew it was the last thing you had wanted to do and I forced that upon you."

I close my eyes a moment, trying to remember. "The scar on your lower back, that was from a bullet. Nyko cut it out. I almost thought it was from an arrow. So what is the last feast?" I ask.

"It was from a bullet. Nyko was upset with me for not letting him know sooner. The last feast, I didn't think would happen. You hated me at the time. I didn't think you would trust me again. It was supposed to happen after you became the thirteenth clan. Instead Nia and Emerson killed your people." She says.

I look her in the eyes and say, "I never hated you, Lexa. I was angry. I was also filled with guilt, I killed children. I loved you, even before then. I loved you before the mountain."

I look up at the sound of drums and what I thought was a guitar, but it's a lute. Lincoln is playing a set of drums and Nyko is playing the lute. Anya comes up to the table and says, "You should play, Lexa."

Lexa starts shaking her head, looking like she is going to refuse. "You can play?" I ask her.

She turns her head to me and says, "I can, I just don't very often."

I smile and say, "I would love to hear you play, sometime."

There isn't much that surprises me, but this, this really does. "Ok, I will play, but just one song." She says.

She gets up and walks over to Lincoln, tapping his shoulder. He looks up, smiles and nods. Before I know it, she is straddling the drums, beating a haunting melody, as Nyko joins in.

Miller comes up to me and asks if he can have this dance. I take his hand and we move to where everyone else is dancing. Miller takes me in his arms, hands resting on my waist as I loop my arms around his neck, as we sway to the music.

I glance over at Lexa, her eyes closed as she really gets into the beat. I can really tell how much she loves it. I wonder how much time she gets to play. I would think that it wouldn't be much. "How are things going with you and the commander?" He asks.

I know I can trust him not to speak about it to anyone, well except Jackson and Jackson wouldn't say anything either. "It's good, though sometimes I wish that we could run away from it all, but know neither of us would. What about you and Jackson? How are things with you?" I ask him.

"I am glad. You deserve to be happy. I never spoke much on it, but I knew you were hurting, even though you didn't let it show. We are doing good. It was rough for a bit. You know we decided to keep it secret, for at least while. We were going to wait till next month to come out, but after the last few days, we've decided that now is the time." He says.

As the song comes to an end, I pull back, kiss his cheek and say, "Go to him, tell him I said to get some rest." 

He smiles and says, "Thank you, Clarke, for the dance and the talk."

He turns and walks back to the mountain. Lexa hops up and Lincoln takes her place again. Lexa takes my hand and asks, "Would you care to dance some more, my love?"

I look at her and ask, "It would be my pleasure, but should we? What would the clans think?"

She smiles and says, "They would be thinking about how lucky that I am, dancing with the most beautiful person here."

I laugh, wrap my arms around her neck, pulling her close as I whisper in her ear, "Now that is something I disagree with. I think you hold that title."

In the previous timeline, I didn't get to see Lexa smile much. Most of the time it was a half smile, where I could see the sadness in her eyes. I think happy Lexa is my favorite. "Who was that you were dancing with earlier?" She asks.

I pull back a bit, just to look into her eyes, is she jealous? "That was Miller. He is one of the 100. We have been through a lot together. His boyfriend, Jackson is my mother's second. He was checking in with me. There are many times I would have my nightmares and he was able to bring me down. He's a good friend."

I can see the relief in her eyes as we sway to the music. She pulls me closer, her lips brushing against my neck. "I am glad that you have had people to help you."

"Lexa, I wish I could say that in the other timeline I wasn't with anyone, but you. There weren't many, but none of them were you. I can say, in this timeline, there hasn't been anyone else and not because others didn't want to. It was because I didn't want anyone else. There will never be anyone else for me." I tell her.

She gasps against my neck as the music stops for a minute. She pulls back, looks in my eyes and says, "Clarke, I would like to show you something. If you are up to a short ride."

I think about it for a moment before saying, "I would love too."

She takes my hand, walks over to Indra, and whispers something in her ear, before leading me to her tent. She gently kisses my lips and says, "We just need a few supplies, and then we can leave."

She grabs a few candles and other items and rolls them up in her furs, tying the bundle tight. She grabs the bundle and I follow her outside where Indra has our horses ready. Gustus comes over on his horse. Lexa turns to Indra and says, "Bring some warriors to us at the falls, when it is time."

She ties her bundles and ties it to her horse. Falls? I never came across any falls near here last time. I don't question her as we climb on our horses. 

We start riding, Gustus follows behind us. We ride for almost two hours before she stops. We hop off our horses and Gustus takes their leads as Lexa takes my hand. We make our way inside a cave.

Lexa grabs a torch and lights it. We walked through the cave for almost twenty minutes. As we leave the cave, she hangs up the torch just outside of it. She walks back into the cave and grabs her bundle from her horse.

She unrolls the bundle and lays it all out. She walks over to the torch and puts it out, just as the sun rises. She takes my hand and I look around, "Lexa, it's so beautiful. What is this place?" I ask her.

The feast in Arcadia

Jake's POV

Abby called about an hour ago, Clarke took some kind of deal. The commander has her safely in the back of her army. I am glad Abby is safe, but how is Clarke. Abby said the commander started back towards the mountain already. Hopefully she can make it in time to help Clarke.

I know most of this has happened already and both of them made it safely, but still I worry. I hear a commotion at the gates and David Miller calls out, "Chancellor, grounders at the gate. Do you want me to open up?"

"Open the gates, and Miller, it is disrespectful to call them grounders. They have different clans. You will talk to them or about them with respect. They are our allies." I tell him.

Miller looks at me and says, "Sorry sir, it won't happen again."

"It's alright this time, Miller. Just see that it doesn't happen again, from any of our people." I tell him.

A young boy, no older than sixteen comes up to me and asks, "You are Jake? Wanheda's Nontu?"

Thank goodness Clarke taught some of us their language, "Sha, I am her Nontu. Is Clarke ok?"

"Wanheda should be fine, Heda is going back to help her. She saved us all, letting them take her and only her instead. Heda said that maybe your healers could help our people." He says while pointing to the people behind him.

Some of them are hurt, some look weak from blood loss and lack of nutrition. Many are being carried by their warriors. I turn back to Miller and say, "Help the ones that need more help to the medical wing. The others take them to any available tent. See that they are taken care of."

I turn back to the boy and say, "They will be well taken care of. We have nurses and doctors inside, our best two are with your commander. What is your name?"

"My name is Garret, I am a second to Heda's third general. I was given orders to bring our people here and then to hunt. As soon as the commander and Wanheda defeat the mountain, there is to be a feast, there and here." He says.

"I will inform the Ark's cooks, they will start preparing some things for the feast. I will leave you to it. The gate will remain open until your return." I tell him.

He nods and turns to leave. I turn and make my way back inside, but Thelonius stops me. "Surely you don't trust these savages with the lives of our people?" He sneers.

I look at him and remove his hand from my wrist, "Thelonius, I have not forgotten what I have been told you did in the last timeline. I will give you a warning though, watch yourself. If I hear you disrespect our allies again I will have to punish you." I tell him.

He turns around and mutters under his breath so low that I can barely hear him, "You don't have the balls Griffin."

He walks away and I shake my head, knowing that he will do something stupid. I walk into the Ark and spot Marcus and Byrne. "Just the two that I wanted to see."

Marcus looks at me and says, "What can we do for you, Jake?"

"I need you both to keep an eye on Thelonius." I tell them.

"Do you think that he will try to do something to the warriors?" Byrne asks.

"Unfortunately, that is exactly what I think. It is something that we have to stop, at all costs." I tell them.

Marcus grabs my wrist, "We will watch him, Jake. We will do whatever we have to do to stop him." He says.

"Thank you, Marcus. I better check in medical." I say, turning down the hall.

I walk into the medical wing and see Callie, "What do we have Callie?"

She is our best nurse, Marcus's wife and Abby's best friend since they were kids. "Most of the injuries are not too bad, it shouldn't take but a few hours to take care of them. It is the others that were prisoners for so long. They will need more care and time for them to grow stronger, but they will recover."

"Good, I am glad. Thank you, Callie. I will get out of your way." I tell her.

I turn and walk out of the room. I head down another hallway, walking down the rows of cells. I come down to the end and head inside. Here I can be close to Clarke. Here is the story of her life. It was a harder life than I ever wanted for her, but she has survived it all. Much more than she should have had to.

My hope for her this time is that things aren't as hard for her. I hope that she has all the happiness that she deserves. I am not sure how long I am there, just staring at Clarke's work. The radio crackling pulls me out of my thoughts. "Chancellor, Abby on the radio, channel three." Wick comes through.

I push the button and ask, "Abby, are you and Clarke ok?"

"I don't have much time, honey. I just wanted to let you know that the mountain is defeated, and Clarke and Raven are ok. I have to go now, there are many wounded, but our girls are ok. Love you." She says.

"Love you too, Abby. Go save lives." I tell her, while smiling.

I walk out of the Ark and notice that tables are set up and meat is roasting. Garret walks over to me and says, "The feast will be ready in about ten minutes."

"Thank you, Garrett. My people make an ale for special occasions, I definitely believe that the fall of the mountain is just such an occasion. My people gave it to the other warriors, to be shared with all." I tell him as we both sit down at the table.

We had a nice conversation all throughout the meal. Everything is going well, when music starts and people start dancing. I hope Clarke has a chance to have a good time at her feast.

"Excuse me Chancellor, who is that girl?" Garrett asks me.

I look to where he is pointing, "That is Zoe Monroe. She is studying to be a healer." I tell him.

"Do you think she likes to dance, Jake?" He asks.

"I think she would love to dance, but first you would have to ask her." I tell him.

"Excuse me, Jake. I think I will ask her." He says while getting up.

He walks over to her and starts talking to her, both of them blushing as he takes her hand and leads her to where the others are dancing. They are about half way through the dance when I see Thelonius come up from their side. 

I stand up quickly as I notice the knife in his hand. I go to shout, and Garrett turns his body, shielding Monroe from the knife. Marcus grabs Thelonius's hand and wrenches the knife out of his hand. Marcus and Byrne grab him and hold him in front of me, as Thelonius screams his head off, "Our people should not be mixing with these filthy savages." 

I notice Zoe crying and Garret trying to calm her down, blood flowing down his arm. I turn to Marcus and tell him to gag him and tie him to a tree. I walk over to Garrett, "Are you ok?" I ask him.

"I am fine, Jake. I know most of your people don't believe as he does and this is just a scratch." He says.

I shake my head and say, "I am glad you are ok. However, this can't go unpunished."

I turn to Zoe and say, "It will be ok, Zoe. The punishment won't take long and then I want you to take Garrett to Callie. She can clean the cut and bandage it, so it doesn't get infected.

I walk over to where Marcus has Thelonius tied up. "Byrne, I need your baton please." I say.

She looks at me and says, "Sir, I can do it." 

I smile and say, "I am setting the punishment, so I must administer it."

She hands me her baton and I step up to Thelonious. "Thelonious Jaha, you were given a warning. The people of the clans are our allies. Not only did you verbally attack them, you tried to cause harm to one. Under chapter forty three of the exodus charter you have two punishments that could be administered, one is death and the other is ten lashes and banishment. As the Chancellor, I chose the latter."

I nod to Marcus and he rips Thelonius's shirt open. As the baton comes down on his back he screams out, barely able to stand at the end. I turn to Garrett and ask, "I know that usually when the clans banish someone, they send them to the dead zone. There is no one here that knows the way as of yet. Is there any way that you can send two warriors to drop him off there?"

"Sha, Jake. It will be done." Garrett says.

He turns to a group of warriors, points to Thelonious and says, "Take him to the dead zone. Give him one flask of water one days worth of food. Then set him free."

They nod at Garret and take Thelonius away. I turn to Garrett and say, "Please let Zoe take you to the medical wing to clean your cut. We are sorry that you were attacked." 

"Heda always says, we should not punish everyone for the crimes of a few. Years ago, when I was a young child, the commander at the time, would kill off whole villages even the smallest of crimes. Your people seem to believe in the same thing." He says.

"It wasn't always that way on the Ark. I am glad things have changed." I tell him. 

He nods and turns to Zoe and they walk into the Ark. I turn to the people and say, "Please continue with the feast."

I turn to Marcus and say, "I need to try and contact Clarke, to let her know what has happened. Can you make sure everything runs smoothly for the rest of the night."

"Callie will probably be busy for many more hours, I will send some food to her and the others there and stay here." He says.

"Thank you, my friend." I tell him and walk inside to my quarters.

I pick up the radio and try to call Clarke. "Clarke are you there?"

A voice comes on and says, ”Sorry sir, Clarke and Heda have left for the night and Abby is still busy in medical. Can I help you?"

Clarke told me that Indra is always supposed to be trusted, so I push the button and say, "There was an incident at the feast tonight. Thelonious attacked Garrett. Garrett is fine. He even saved a young girl that he was dancing with. Thelonious was lashed and banished. If you could let Clarke know when you see her again."

"I will let Clarke know. Oh, and Jake, your punishment was definitely fair. It will show the clans that are there that your people are just as honourable as your daughter." She says.

"Thank you, Indra. Can you also tell Abby that I will talk to her soon?" I ask her.

"It would be a pleasure, your wife has been saving many lives. I will let you go to get some rest." She says.

I lay the radio down next to the bed and change clothes. It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to see just how deep the conctions are with are 3 women of the Ark. 
> 
> Warning, Raven will bring up some hard issues, issues of abuse, rape and murder. If any of this is triggering for you, you can skip that part and I will give you the cliff notes. It is a crucial part of the story.

Chapter 11 "We are all connected"

Clarke's POV 

I wake up gasping for air, feeling strong arms wrapped around me. I look up and see green, "Shh, Clarke. You're ok." Lexa says while rubbing my back.

"It was so real. I couldn't protect her. They tortured her. It was Sheiheda." I sob.

Lexa pulls me closer, kissing the top of my head, she says, "I know what he did, I saw it. It wasn't your fault. Madi is safe and Raven says that Sheiheda will be destroyed for good."

"I will talk to her about it before we go to Polis. I should also tell Harper and Monty about Jordan." I say, pulling slightly away.

"Who is Jordan?" Lexa asks.

"Jordan was their son and I killed him. They told me to take care of him and I killed him." I say, admitting it for the first time.

"What happened?" Lexa asks.

"He fell in love with one of Sheidheda's followers. He stepped in front of my sword to protect them. We had just finished defeating Bardo. We just got back and I wanted to see Madi. Gaia stopped me, told me he had her." I tell her.

"You did what you had to do. They will understand and he will be born again. We can make things better. You have already started. We will continue together. Maybe wait on telling Monty and Harper about their son. It might cause a heartache, that they won't ever recover from." Lexa says.

"That is something I will definitely think about. Jasper never recovered from losing Maya, in the previous timeline." I say.

I take a minute to fully take in my surroundings. I have seen many beautiful places on earth, but this, this, I have no words for it. The sun reflecting off the water of the lake. I gasp as the light hits the waterfall just right as a double rainbow forms.

Lexa kisses my fingers and says, "It's stunning isn't it?"

"I have never seen anything like it. How did you find this place?" I ask her.

"The people found it and gave it to Becca. Since then it has been a sacred place, intended only for commanders. Gustus only makes sure no one is here and then leaves. I have only been here a few times, but I wanted to share it with you." She says.

"Not that I am not happy to see all of this, but if it's only for commanders, should I not be here?" I ask. 

"You are a commander, Clarke. You bear the flame, and even before that, you were the commander of death. However, none of that would have mattered to me. I remember everything from the previous timeline. There are things that you never knew." She says.

I shake my head and ask, "What do you mean? What kind of things?" I ask her.

She leans forward and kisses my forehead, "Clarke, there is so much that I want to tell you. Things that the flame, either doesn't really know or things that I really just want to put into my own words." She says.

I squeeze her hand, smile and say, "You can tell me anything."

"I will try to tell you everything, today, but it is a lot. I will start with the first timeline. I was in the middle of training the nightbloods, when I heard about a ship crashing near Ton Dc. I sent my best scouts to check it out. Lincoln was one of them. They were supposed to just report back to me." 

I have so many questions, but Lexa squeezes my hand and I know this is something she has to talk about without stopping. I will save my questions till later. 

"I didn't know who you were and there was talk about you working with the mountain. It didn't matter, you were invaders, I needed to know how much of a threat you were. One of my scouts saw you crossing the boundary towards the mountain, that is when he shot Jasper with a spear."

She takes a drink of water and continues, "I really didn't want another war, but knew how things would go after that. There would be no trust, your people wouldn't trust us. I still wanted to try. That's why I sent Anya to the bridge. I should have gone myself."

Gustus comes just to the cave entrance and says, "Moba, Heda, sanch."

"I will be right back." She says.

She comes back after a moment, with a tray filled with meats and cheeses. She sets the tray down between us, as she sits next to me. She pours us a glass of water and we start eating.

After a few minutes she speaks again, "I won't go into everything, there isn't time. The moment you walked into my tent and I looked into your eyes, I knew you were different. I hoped we could work together. You gave us that opportunity, when you cured Lincoln."

"I knew it would be hard for us to trust each other, after our war and Finn, then Gustus betrayed me. It scared me when you drank out of that bottle, but it was nothing like seeing Quint choking you. I didn't have time to examine my feelings then, because Pauna attacked." 

She closes her eyes, shudders, and says, "When you warned me about the missle, I knew, I had to get you out of there. I couldn't let you die, because I loved you. It was still confusing, but I knew then how I felt."

We finished eating and after moving the tray away, I lay her head in my lap. I pull her braid out and as I run my fingers through her hair, she continues, "After the deal with the mountain, I went back to Polis. I knew then that your 'not ready' would be 'never'. Still I had my scouts look out for you. They never found you. When Nia put a bounty on you, I sent Roan. I knew he would find you."

"You were so angry, you spit at me, you tried to kill me, and I would have let you. I loved you but I had hurt you so much. I also knew then that if you didn't care for me you would have gone through with it. I was going to let you go back to your people, but you had other ideas. I had one chance, I wanted to earn your trust back."

Lexa turns around in my lap and reaches up, taking my hands in hers, "I never believed that you would ever feel the same about me, as I did about you, I just wanted you to trust me, that I would do everything to keep you safe. Then you came to my room and I knew you were going back."

She kisses my fingers, "In that hour, you showed me more love than I have ever known. Then I was leaving my room and I heard the shots. My only thought was you. I had to make sure that you were safe. That bullet hitting me instead of you, it was everything. You would be safe, though I wanted to be by your side at sometime. I was happy, you gave that to me, for the first time in my life I was happy. I wouldn't trade your life for anything, then and now. I love you, Clarke Griffin, in this life and the next."

I lean down and kiss her lips gently, tears flowing down both our faces. When we come up for air, bring my left hand up to her cheek, I say, "There is so much I want to tell you, especially about that time, but maybe later."

"We don't ever have to talk about anything you don't want to, Clarke. I just wanted you to know that I love you, more than I have ever loved anyone, and it's not just because of the memories stored into the flame. The deal with the mountain, yes everything from the past came back, but it just made me realize that I want more this time, I want you in my life for always." Lexa says

I kiss her cheek and say, "I know that I don't have to, but I want to. How long do we have here?" 

She kisses my fingers and says, "I wish it was much longer, but we have til tomorrow morning."

"Then we can wait till dinner. Come on, I haven't been swimming in over a year and it is too beautiful to pass this up." I tell her.

I start taking my clothes off, all the way down to my underwear and bindings. I look up and Lexa is just staring. When she catches her breath she says, "Clarke, you take my breath away. No one could ever compare to your beauty."

She starts taking her clothes off and it is not long before she joins me in the water, and I say, "Lexa, from the first moment I met you, you disarmed me. I really thought my knees would give out and it wasn't from fear."

She pulls me in her arms and leans down and kisses me, slow at first, but it doesn't take long for things to speed up as my arms go around her neck.

Octavia's POV

There are four of us traveling, I am glad they chose Lincoln. I am not sure where Indra is taking us, though I know the others have been. I look over at Lincoln and he smiles at me. I hope we have some time to talk on this little trip. There are some things that I need him to know.

We make it to a cave system, almost hidden in the trees and we all hop off of our horses. Indra looks around and says, "We will be here till morning. Ryder, set up camp. Lincoln and Octavia go hunt for dinner and breakfast. We will need enough for three others."

Indra then leaves us, walking into the caves and the three of us move to follow our tasks. Lincoln grabs his bow and we set off. It isn't long before we come across some boar tracks. Silently we follow them to a stream about a mile from the camp. 

I grab two daggers, putting one on the ground in front of me, while Lincoln nocks his bow. As his arrow flies through the air, my first dagger does the same. By the time they both hit my second dagger is on its way. All three hitting the boar in the neck.

Lincoln kisses my cheek and says, "Your skills as a hunter are most impressive."

We have been taking things a bit more slow this time. We walk towards the boar, and I say, "I had two of the best to train me."

We make quick work preparing the boar for travel, and Lincoln hoists it up onto his shoulders. We are silent as we walk back to the camp. It gives me plenty of time to think. There is so much I want to tell him, and so much that I am not sure that I should.

I should tell him about the bunker and how broken I was after he died. It will be hard, that is for sure, but he needs to know about the things that have made me who I am today. True I healed some on Skyring, but the past is still there. Maybe, I can fully heal by making things right. 

I also miss Hope and Charlie. I just have to wait for them to come down. It will happen. We get back to the camp and Ryder has just about finished setting up. He has three tents set up, and about to set up a forth one, when I speak, "It's ok, Ryder. Three is good. Let me see about getting this boar cooked for dinner."

About an hour later, Lincoln had the meat finished as well as some potatoes. Indra and Gustus walk out of the caves and come over to the fire. Gustus nods and grabs three plates, puts them on a platter and says, "Thank you, I will get this to Heda and Wanheda."

Indra grabs a plate and says, "Tonight we will rest and mid-morning we will head to Arcadia, before going back to the mountain."

Ryder grabs a plate and sits down on a log, as Lincoln grabs two and sits back down next to me. We all eat silently before heading towards our tents, Lincoln following me.

I push our cots together as Lincoln unrolls the furs and puts them on our bed. He takes my hand and gently leads me to the bed. He kisses my cheek and says, "You have had something on your mind all day. I am here to listen if you want to talk about it."

I squeeze his hand and say, "I do have a lot to talk about. Most of it was things from the past. Both timelines, I lived most of my life under the floor. Clarke saved my mom from execution this time, along with her dad. The first time, I rarely left my cell, only when I was forced to. Then we came down and everything changed."

He looks at me and says, "Tell me about it, I know about some things that happened, but I want to know how it was for you."

"Stepping off the dropship, looking at all the trees, smelling real fresh air, it was more than I ever dreamed possible. The peace didn't last long, my brother wanted chaos, he was scared that the Ark would come down and he would have to face his execution, for trying to kill the Chancellor. He did it to be able to come down and protect me, though I knew none of that at the time."

I close my eyes, thinking about that time, "Then we were thrown into a war, that we were ill prepared to fight. I met you, you saved me and Bellamy tortured you to save Finn and find out more about the clans. It only brought us closer together. You became a reaper and Clarke and Abby saved you. After the mountain, you were banished for going back and helping Skaikru."

"We could have run to Luna then, but we both wanted to help my people. Then Bellamy, in his grief for losing his girlfriend, helped Pike kill 299 of your people, who were sent to protect us from Azgeda. Pike arrested you, which made me seek Clarke in Polis, for help."

"Clarke wanted to stay and I was so hard on her, I still had trouble trusting the commander, after the mountain. When Clarke didn't join me, I had no idea she stayed because of the commander's death. I didn't know that she was in love with her either. I came back to save you, but it didn't go quite as planned."

I have to stop for a moment, as the tears won't stop flowing. Lincoln pulls me closer and kisses the top of my head and says, "It's ok, you don't have to go on."

I shake my head, wipe my face, kiss his cheek and say, "I need to. We were almost out when Pike threatened your people. You kissed me and knocked me out, turning yourself back in. As Kane carried me out, I woke up, just inside the treeline, and said goodbye to me, looking at the sky, as he put a bullet in your head and left you to rot."

Even though the tears keep falling, I continue, "That moment broke something in me, something that would take many years to get back, even a part of it. I tried to honour your memory, by leading everyone in the bunker, but it only hardened me even more."

"I did so many horrible things, I was ruthless. When we left the bunker, I started a war almost killing what was left of our people. It took Madi, the last born nightblood, taking the flame, to save the people. It was short lived, and we had to go back to space. We were asleep over 100 years, before we found Sanctum and Bellamy banished me."

"It was actually a good thing, I spent six years with Diyosa and her daughter, Hope. She became my best friend, helping me heal from the past. In Bardo, we thought she died, but Raven was able to save her. After defeating and destroying Bardo, we went back to Sanctum."

I take a deep breath and continue, "We were the first to arrive at the school. We tried to save Madi, but we lost Bellamy and Hope in the fight, before they overpowered us. They made us watch most of it, before knocking us out. Her screams will haunt me, she was only thirteen, just a child. When we woke up everyone was dead but us, Murphy was carrying her head out and Jackson her body."

"I watched Clarke lose it and Wanheda take her place. When we left, Sanctum was nothing but burning ash and smoke. No one was left alive, but Gabriel, to live with what he caused. It was Sheiheda, that was behind it all. I can't blame Clarke. She had lost so much, her mom and dad, her soulmate, and then her daughter."

He squeezes my hand and says, "I know how I would feel if I lost you. You and Clarke are the two strongest people that I have ever met."

"It took months for Clarke to become even a fraction of herself. The nightmares never truly went away. Yet, with one message, it gave us all hope. We had a mission, we would set things right and do better this time."

"So you just came back?" He asks.

I smile for the first time during the whole talk, "It wasn't that easy. There was the building of the time machine, training, and planning. Then when we came back it was two more years of training and planning, but there was nothing that was going to stop us. I wanted to help make things better, but mainly, I wanted to get back to you. It was a long three years, but it was so worth it." I tell him.

I gently push him down on the bed, removing my shirt as I go. I lean down and brush my lips against his, before leaning back to take my bindings off. With his hands on my hips, his eyes never leaving mine, as I lean down, placing my forehead against his, "You are everything to me. I love you, so much, Linc."

Raven's POV

I finish taking the last screw of the casing of the last missile and Anya takes and puts it against the wall with the rest of the materials that we will save. We are both in radiation suits just in case, as I pull out the last tube of nuclear fuel and place it in the box with the others, sealing it off.

I turn to Anya and say, "That is the last of it. We will have to be careful taking it back to the Ark, to store it. We can't use horses. I will need two warriors to carry it. Anyone near it will have to wear a suit, just in case it leaks. I have a place where it will be safe, with someone checking on it every few months, just in case the fuel is ever needed, since we can't really destroy it."

She takes my hand and says, "Good, the gonas will guard it tonight. You have to take a break and get something to eat."

We walk out the mountain and she takes me to the campfire where a panther is roasting. After she cuts two huge portions off it, she adds some potatoes to it and we walk towards a tent. It doesn't take us long to eat. There are two cots in the tent and she leads me to one.

"Raven I know you aren't ready for anything, but I meant what I said. You are worth waiting for. We can sleep tonight and meet the others in Arcadia tomorrow. I was just going to help you with your Jacket and see if you needed your bandage changed." She says.

I nod and she helps me out of my jacket. After changing the bandage, she leans down and kisses my forehead. As she goes to get up, I grab her hand and say, "Stay. I wanted to talk. There are things that I wanted to tell you about. It is a lot and you should know about it."

She takes my hand in hers and entwines our fingers, before saying, "I want to know more about you, but anything you say, won't change how I feel about you."

"It just might. Like I said, it is a lot. Most of it I stumbled upon, by looking at old files on the Ark. Some Abby and Jake had to fill in." I say.

"That's Clarke's parents, right?" She asks.

"They are, and we will get to that. I should start at the beginning, when I was just a baby. There was a series of rapes and murders on the Ark that year. The council tried so hard to find out who was behind it all. It took them almost three years, before they found out who it was. By this time, he had killed and raped nine women." I say.

I can tell she has questions, but she is holding back. She simply squeezes my hand and I continue, "The tenth one survived, her name was Aurora Blake. Bellamy and Octavia's mom. She was able to identify her attacker. It was my father. He was floated for his crimes."

She kisses my fingers, as I keep going, "I was almost two at the time. Mom started drinking then. It wasn't long before she started blaming me. As I got older she started getting worse. She told me it was my fault that my father was floated and I was the bad seed. I still didn't know why my father was floated."

I take a drink of water and a deep breath, "I was five when she started selling part of my rations for more alcohol. It was also the time she started hitting me. Usually it wasn't too bad, and somewhere others couldn't see the marks of her fists."

A tear starts rolling down my cheek, but I just let it continue down, "I was six when I ended up in medical. After I was healed, I was sent back home, but something changed. The boy next door started sharing his rations with me, or so I thought."

With more tears flowing, Anya stops me, and says, "It's ok, it's over now. You don't have to finish unless you want to."

I squeeze her hand and say, "I need to finish. It went on for many years, he would give me his rations, Birthday and Christmas presents. He later became my boyfriend. Then on my birthday, I took a spacewalk and ended up wasting two months of air. Instead of letting them find out it was me, he took the blame."

"He was seventeen and I was eighteen, I would have been floated and he would have just been locked up. He came down with the 100 and didn't wait ten days before he found someone else, Clarke. That was the last timeline. This time, we never got together. Everyone I was ever with the last time, either died, went crazy or both."

"You didn't deserve any of that to happen to you, but what does any of it have to do with Clarke's parents?" Anya asks.

"That part comes next. This time I had access to all of the Ark. The truth of my father was kept secret, to protect me. From the moment I landed in medical, at six, the Griffins were trying to adopt me. They wanted me away from my mom. They tried for years, but both chancellors wouldn't allow it."

I pause a minute, just trying to gather my thoughts, "On the Ark, you can only ever have one kid, they were taking that seriously. Come to find out, they still found a way to help me. They were the ones giving Finn the rations and the food to give me. Without them, I wouldn't be here today."

"In a way they are my parents. In my searching, something occurred to me. I had to talk to Aurora about it. She confirmed my suspicions. Octavia's father is my father too. Which means in some way, Clarke, Charlotte, Octavia and Bellamy are also my siblings. I always felt closer to them and this just made me realize why." I say, finally getting it all out.

"Do they know." Anya asks.

I shake my head and say, "No, I've only known for about a month. I didn't want it to get in the way of the mission. How would Octavia even take it. She never knew our father and I don't remember him, but she has lost so much. She lived under the floors for sixteen years. All because she was a second child."

Anya kisses my cheek and says, "If I were Clarke or Octavia, then I would want to know. Charlotte can wait, but she should know as well. I won't tell them though. That is for you to decide, but if you want, I will be there if and when you do. I will always be there."

"You're right, they should know. I will tell them. I am just not sure when a good time would be." I say.

"Maybe after we go to Azgeda, and before we go to Polis. I know everyone will be busy and there is so much that needs doing, but it doesn't always have to be done in a day." Anya says.

"I am not sure I will be able to stop until after we disable the power plants. They will take months to finish, there are just so many of them." I say.

I blush when I realize that I am playing with her fingers, long fingers. "I will talk to Lexa. I bet she will want Clarke to take a few days about then as well."

"Good luck with that, Griffin doesn't do breaks. She works more than I do, but if anyone one can get her to take a moment to herself, I bet Lexa could." I shake my head while laughing.

I stifle a yawn and Anya kisses my head and gets up removing her armour before moving over to help me with mine. Before I know it she is laying me down on the cot and moving towards hers. "Rest Raven, we have a long day tomorrow."

I find myself not wanting her to go, "Wait, can you lay with me."

She thinks for a moment and nods, before moving her cot right next to mine. "I know I said that I am not ready yet and I am not, but you make me want to be. Maybe we can take things slow?" I say.

Anya lays down next to me, brushes her lips and against mine, wraps her arms around me as I lay my head on her chest. "We can take it as slow as you want and if you later change your mind, all you have to do is say so. No matter what happens, I will be here for you, always.

I close my eyes and whisper, "Thank you." 

"You never have to thank me, I just want you to know, that I care and there isn't anything that anyone can say or do, that will change that." Anya says, as we both drift off to sleep.

Lexa's POV

It's been such a good day, I got to tell Clarke, at least partly how I feel about her. Truth is words can't describe the love I feel for her. I almost feel guilty about my relationship with Costia. We never had much time together, Titus was always close by.

In a way, I am glad about that. It just means that Clarke is the only one that I have been with, well in the other timeline. This timeline I haven't been with anyone. I know she was with a few others in the past, but it never bothered me, because she was finally mine.

I know she wants to talk more tonight. I am a little nervous about what she has to say. Gustus stands at the entrance of the cave, "Heda, Clarke, dinner is here. Octavia and Lincoln hunted down a panther."

"Thank you, Gustos. I will be right there." I tell him.

I take Clarke's hand and we step out of the water. Picking up a fur, I dry her off and kiss her fingers. It only takes me a minute to dry off myself. I turn to her and say, "I will be right back."

When I get back to the entrance of the cave I ask Gustus, "Are they ready?"

"Sha, Heda. They are ready. I think Clarke will like your surprise." He says.

"Thank you, Gustos. I really hope she does." I tell him as I pick up the tray and step out.

I don't expect anything out of tonight, I am hoping that we have plenty of time, now that we know the obstacles that are in our way. I just want to show something beautiful. I will be happy if I can bring a smile to her face. I want to do that every day that we have together and I hope that is many days. 

I make it back to our furs, laying down our tray, Clarke is already pouring us a glass of water, before I sit down. Leaning in I kiss her cheek and we start eating. I can tell Clarke is thinking, probably thinking about how to say what she has to say.

Her right hand reaches over and takes my left hand. After she takes a drink of water, she speaks, "Lexa, there are so many ways that I could start. I will start with my life on the Ark. I didn't have many friends growing up. All I had was Wells, not many people wanted to associate with us. We were the only two kids that had parents on the council and later his dad became Chancellor."

"Why didn't anyone want to be your friend? Seems like many are now." I tell her.

"They thought that we had life better than we did and in many ways we did. It would have taken a lot for us to get in trouble. So when someone turned in my father and he was floated, I thought it was him. I didn't know it was my mom. She thought that because Thelonius was their best friend that he could talk my father out of letting everyone know." She tells me.

"That isn't what happened though was it?" I ask her.

She squeezes my fingers and says, "No, he floated my dad and locked me up in solitary. I had just turned seventeen. He knew I would do what my dad wanted to do and tell everyone that the Ark was dying. I spent almost eleven months in that cell, with no visits from anyone. I only had charcoal to keep me sane, drawing on every space of my cell." 

"The drawings were like nothing I have ever seen before. You have a great talent." I tell her.

"When they came to my cell that day, I fought with everything that I am, before my mom stopped me. I thought they were coming to float me, even though it was a month early. Instead, mom told me that we were all being sent to the ground." She says.

I kiss her fingers and say, "I would have been scared."

"I was scared and when we finally touched down, the real chaos started. Bellamy tried really hard to lead, and in some ways he succeeded. It wasn't long though before I figured out that it was my mom that turned in my dad. Before I could really talk to Wells about how I treated him, he was killed by Charlotte. She was trying to get rid of the nightmares she had of Thelonius floating her parents. She later jumped off a cliff, from the guilt." She tells me.

"I am sorry that you both had to go through that guilt. Wells didn't deserve to die, but Charlotte shouldn't have had to lose her parents that way either." I say.

She closes her eyes and continues, "Finn started trying to get close to me at this time. He was the first person to really pay me any attention. I liked the person that I thought he was. I didn't know that he had a girlfriend. Raven came down the next night and that morning is when I found out. I wish that I had never been with him. I guess he was always going to snap, as he did in both timelines. I never loved him though, I hardly knew him."

"I was never with Costia, not in that way. That is one thing that I am grateful for Titus always being around. I can understand about Finn. There is nothing to feel guilty about. The fault lays with him, not you. I am sorry that you and Raven were hurt." I say.

"We have both talked about it, we knew this time that neither of us would be with him. When you kissed me the first time, I knew I cared for you. It wasn't about that when I said I wasn't ready, it was myself that I didn't trust, not after Finn. I knew it hurt you and I am sorry for that." She says.

I move the tray to the side and pull her closer, wrapping my arms around her, and say, "You have nothing to be sorry about, my love."

"After the mountain, I ran. I told myself it was you I was angry with, you I hated. It wasn't true though. I still couldn't get you out of my mind. I had been going to this trade post near the Trikru, Azgedian border. I was hurt at the time, from hunting a panther, when Roan came in searching for Wanheda. 

"I couldn't let Nia get you. I knew you would be angry, but I would rather you be angry than dead." I say.

She squeezes my hand before saying, "She turned him away, saying that she hadn't seen me. While I was waiting for them to leave the area, she cleaned my wounds on my shoulder. When she finished she kissed me. I almost stopped her, but I didn't. She was the only human contact that I had in months. When I was with her, all I thought about was you and that made it worse. I used her, and it still didn't change anything. I still loved you and I was still angry."

I swallow hard and nod, squeezing her hand so she will continue. "I won't go into detail, because you were there. A few things though, I regretted how I handled seeing you again, as well as many things that happened in those days. The moment you kneeled at my feet, my anger went away. I just wasn't ready to admit it to you yet."

I kiss her cheek and say, "One day soon, I want to tell you what that means to me and all of Trikru. Not yet, but soon."

"I think I might have an idea, but I will wait. There is still so much that I need to tell you. Things that happened and how they made me feel. All of it is what makes me who I am today. I was scared when you were going to fight Roan. I didn't want to lose you. My heart was in my throat the whole time you were fighting." She says.

She closes her eyes for a minute, and continues, "I lied to you that night you came to my room. My people were the last thing on my mind. You were right there, you survived, I had to touch you to make sure though. Still, I didn't say what I really wanted to. The words got stuck in my throat. Then you left and it was too late."

"I never knew, but like always, I still enjoyed even just a few minutes in your company." I say.

"Then we went to Arcadia and the whole thing just killed me. They killed all your people and think if I wasn't in shock, I would have never stopped crying. I think if Octavia hadn't come and knocked Bellamy out, that Pike would have killed me." She says.

"I was so scared the whole time you were gone. I didn't think you would be coming back out, but I never wanted to be the person to tell you, that you couldn't do something. You would have just done it anyways. It still didn't stop me from worrying about you." I say.

"When we came back, I enjoyed the time we spent together. I couldn't stop from drawing you while you slept. It wasn't the first time, and it wasn't the last either. I wanted to tell you how I felt then, but Titus came in." She tells me.

"I wish you had. He always had the worst timing." I say. 

"It's getting dark soon, so I won't have time to finish it all tonight. I knew the moment I stepped into your room that I couldn't go back to Arcadia without telling you how I felt about you." She says.

"I wanted to tell you as well, so much. Then you kissed me and I felt it." I say.

"I never thought it would end the way it did. I thought I had dealt with worse pain in my life, but nothing compared to you dying in my arms. I never even had time to grieve, it was one thing after another. When the death wave hit, I thought my fight was over, but it wasn't. There were times where I wanted to end it all. I would at least get to see you. Finding Madi stopped me." She says, tears streaming down her face.

I wipe her tears away, kissing each cheek and say, "I am glad you found her."

"I think that's about all I can say tonight. I am glad we are having a second chance." She says.

"I am glad we are two. Thank you for that." I say.

"There is nothing to thank me about. I love you, so much. I am not sure that I could lose you again." She says.

Kissing the top of her head again, I pull her even closer and say, "I hope neither of us has to go through that." 

We just lay there for a while, as the sun gets lower in the sky. A few minutes after the sun is completely down, she notices. At the same time Gustos releases the butterflies. Her smile grows bigger but the second. I noticed her left hand twitching at her side. Next time I will bring something for her to draw with.

"Lexa, I have never seen anything like it. The waterfall, the lake, they are glowing. I have seen a few plants glow, and the butterflies, but nothing like this. It's so beautiful." She says as a butterfly lands on her shoulder.

I look at her, with the blue shining off her blonde hair, and say, "I told you that I wanted to show you something special. There are many places where the plants glow, but it is only here that the water glows. It is my favourite place, in all the land."

"Thank you, Lexa. It means so much that you would show me this. Maybe one day we can come back and I can paint it." She says, with tears flowing down her face.

I lean in kissing her tears away, knowing that they are happy tears this time. "One day, I would love to build here. I always imagined a house over there, near the trees, and maybe one over there for the nightbloods. With Titus, it was something that I also didn't think was possible. Now, you have renewed that dream."

She leans in and kisses me, our tongues dancing together, until we have to come up for air. She reaches for my shirt, lifting it slightly, looking into my eyes, as if to ask for permission. I nod my head and she takes it off.

I gasp as she starts kissing my jaw, making her way down to my neck. She pulls away, just long enough to remove her shirt. I have never seen anyone as stunning as Clarke. It seems like hours, both of us exploring each other's bodies, like it is the first time all over again. 

As we ride out our pleasure together, there is a slight tingling at the back of my neck. I pull her close to me, as she lays her head on my chest, both of us gasping for air. 

When we finally catch our breath, it is Clarke that speaks first, while rubbing her neck, "What happened?"

I lean down, kiss her head and say, "I don't know for sure, but I think our flames became one."

"We will talk to Raven about it tomorrow. We should meet them in Arcadia about the same time. Doesn't matter though, because I wouldn't change a thing." She says after brushing her lips against my jaw.

"I wouldn't either, my love." I say.

"Ai hod yu in, Leksa. Feva en otaim." She says.

"Come, let's clean up." I tell her

We walk arm and arm to the lake and take our time washing our bodies off. As we are stepping out, Clarke loses her footing and I swoop her up in my arms, to carry her the rest of the way.

We both lay down, I pull the furs over us and with light kisses as we both fall asleep.

It is mid-morning when Gustos wakes us up, "Heda, breakfast."

I kiss the top of Clarke's head, sit up and get dressed. With a smile on my face, I pick up our stray, before Gustos speaks again, "Heda, gonas from the mountain are here."

The smile drops from my face, "Thank you, Gustos. We will eat fast and pack up." I tell him.

I make my way back to Clarke and set the tray down. She is already dressed, "I guess we have to head back soon." She says.

"We do. Riders are here from the mountain." I tell her.

We eat swiftly, put our armour on and pack up. It isn't long before we make our way out of the caves. They have already packed up their camp, the fire already out.

Indra comes up to us and says, "Heda, Clarke, there are two separate issues. A few Azgeda showed up in Arcadia last night. Garrett thought you should know, so he sent a few riders. This morning there was an accident at the mountain, one of the tubes that store the stuff from the missiles is leaking. Raven has it contained, but no one but a nightblood can get near it. Abby is treating Raven and Anya for radiation poisoning. They should be ok."

"Thank you, Indra." I say.

"We have to separate, you have to go to Arcadia and I have to go to the mountain." Clarke says.

"I know but I don't have to like it." I say.

I pull her close, kiss her and turn to my gonas. "Lincoln, take three gonas with you. Keep Clarke safe." I say.

Everyone else hops on their horses, turning to Clarke, I say, "Stay safe, my love."

"You too, hodnes." She says as we ride in opposite directions.

Every second away my heart grows heavier, but it isn't till I can almost see Arcadia, that a sharp pain hits my neck. As I ride up to the gates, my only thought is that I hope Clarke is ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, thank you Lockie for all your help. Check out her work at Hedalok. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and hang on, because we are in for a real long ride. Some of you might want to kill me at times. You will just have to see.


	12. Chapter 12 "Seperated"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke gets amushed and Lexa has a fight to the death. Let's see what the outcome is for both our favourite characters.

Chapter 12 "Separated"

Clarke's POV

The farther away I get from Lexa, the harder it is. I wonder if it will ever get easier. Last night was special, so much better than last time. I still don't know what happened with the flames, but I felt it.

I will have to have to talk to Raven about it, when I get to the mountain. I hear a branch break behind us, but keep going, Lincoln looks at me. He heard it as well, but it sounded like someone small. 

I stop, holding up my hand, and say, "We will take a break here. Lincoln, go fill up our waterskins."

"Sha, Wanheda." He says.

We all hop off our horses and it doesn't take but a few minutes before Lincoln is back. Struggling in his arms is Madi. "Let go Lincoln, I need to find Clarke."

I rush over to him and he let's her go. Besides a few scratches she is unharmed. "Madi, what are you doing here?"

She looks down and says, "I'm sorry, but I had to find you. I might have stolen a boat and crashed it."

"Why Madi? I was going to come get you in a few weeks." I say.

"I missed you, and everytime we are not together, something happens. I can't lose another mom." She says while kicking a pebble.

I hug her and say, "You're not gonna lose me. You were safe there and it is I that can't lose you."

"I'm sorry." She says.

"It's ok, Madi. I missed you too. Where is Gaia? Why didn't she radio?" I ask

She looks at the ground and says, "She is following me. I lost her lots. I might have thrown the battery in the water."

Shaking my head I say, "We will wait for her here, before we continue to the mountain."

She looks up at me smiling and asks, "And you won't send me away again?"

"I never want to send you away, but I also want you safe. So we will see what happens after we get to the mountain." I tell her.

It isn't long before Lincoln, who is up a tree, whistles. A few minutes later, I see her, but she isn't all I see. Azgeda silently follows behind her. I snap my fingers, and Lincoln and the guards finally see what I see.

We wait quietly, so that they don't figure out that we see them. Within minutes Gaia walks up to us and says, "Madi, you're going to be the death of me." 

We don't have much time and I have to get Madi out of here. If she wasn't here, we would be able to leave and make it to the mountain. I have already counted more than thirty warriors. 

I take Madi by the hand, walking her towards my horse, to block our view from those that are coming. Gaia walks over to us and I reach my hand in my back, finding the sedative that I have there. With a tear flowing down my cheek, I push the plunger down into Madi's neck.

Holding her in my arms, I say, "Azgeda behind us, take her to the mountain. Get her safe, we will distract them, go now."

She hops on the horse and I hand her Madi. Gaia looks at me and says, "I've got her."

I slap the horse on the ass and he takes off. Lincoln slides down the tree and the four of us pull out our swords. They quickly separate us. One by one we take them out, but they just keep coming. 

Then I see her, Ontari. She takes out each guard with ease. As she pulls her blade out of the last guard, red blood spraying, she brings it through Lincoln's back, the angle just missing his heart. 

I throw my hand up and my dagger hits her shoulder, just as he hits the ground, his head landing on a rock. Ontari turns to me, and says, "Wanheda, Heda's whore. We have finally met. Unfortunately, Nia wants to speak to you, or we could have some fun."

I look all around us, seeing the bodies piled up, faking a yawn, I say, "Seems like your queen will have to do better than that. I am not exactly easy to kill, or easy to take."

She looks around and says, "They were weak, I am not."

"Prove it, are you a mindless soldier, a queens bitch, or are you a mighty nightblood. I bet you can't last two minutes in a fight to the death with me. You would never have lived through the conclave. Lexa kom Trikru would have shown everyone just how weak you are." I say, hoping to anger her.

It works, as she flings a dagger my way. I knew it was coming and I caught it in my left hand, "Tsk tsk, so slow, you throw like a goufa."

With a loud war cry, she lunged at me, I just barely managed to block, as her left hand came up with the dagger. Rolling to my right, she just manages to slice into my right cheek. She kicks my back and I land face first in a pool of blood and mud, both swords skidding over ten feet away.

Flipping over on my back, I wipe my face with the back of my hand. "Give up Wanheda. My queen wants you alive. A message to the commander. The coalition will fall, when she proves just how weak she is for you. At her death, there will be a new conclave, a new commander. That commander will be me." She says.

My left hand just out of her sight, almost under Quill's right leg, another guard, that died to protect me. If I can just keep her talking another minute, I can reach Quill's dagger. I almost have my breath caught. "What is weakness?" I ask her.

"Love is weakness, something you should learn. It is too late for Lexa kom Trikru, to learn that lesson." Ontari says.

She is just bringing up the hilt of her sword, when I grab Quill's dagger. "Love is not weakness." I say bringing up the dagger and sliding it into her throat. Pulling it out slowly, with black blood spraying across my chest and face, I finish my sentence, "Love is strength, bitch."

It is silent, after she falls face first next to me, even the birds have stopped chirping. I take a moment to catch my breath, before standing and making my way over to Lincoln. I know I don't have much time and do not want to tell Octavia that we lost him.

I don't have my bag, it is on its way to the mountain. I take off my armour, taking my overshirt off, ripping it into bandages. I am just finishing when he wakes up and I hear many branches snap, knowing it hasn't been enough time for reinforcements to arrive. 

It can only be more Azgeda. I will never be able to take them all, not by myself. I make the only choice that I can. I look Lincoln in the eyes, and quietly say, "They only want me, alive. Tell Lexa, I love her and to complete the mission."

I bring up the hilt of a dagger, hitting him in the back of his head, just hard enough to knock him back out. "Yu gonplei ste odon, Lincoln kom Trikru. May we meet again." I say loudly, knowing the warriors behind me can hear. 

I don't have time to put my armour on or grab my swords. I take Lincoln's, standing and turning, I see that I was correct. I will never be able take out the more than thirty more warriors in front of me, but I will take out as many as I can, before they capture me.

"Are you all here for little ole me? Guess it's party time." I say while bringing up my sword. 

Looks like they aren't playing games, as four rush me at the same time. I bring the sword up, blocking the first strike, spinning to my left, I bring up the dagger, stabbing him in the heart, through his back. 

In one motion, I pull out the dagger and bring my sword back, straight into the heart of the warrior behind me. I fall to my knees, as a blade swings towards my neck, taking my sword with me, slicing the ankles of the attacker, right through his Achilles tendon. 

My dagger flying into the throat of the warrior on my left side. I take my sword and slice the neck of the one that tried to take my head off. Setting my sword down beside me I grab two daggers next to me, sheathing them before picking up Lincoln's sword and another. 

Six warriors come at me this time. Just like training Clarke, I think, one at a time, watching all your sides. Bringing my right sword up I block his swing, bringing my knee up at the same time I block the one on the left. The guy on the right falls to his knees, dropping his sword. 

I swing my right sword around, slicing into the neck of the guy on the left, while bringing my left down into the leg of the guy on the right, slicing his femoral artery. Swinging around, my left elbow catches the warrior that was in front of me in the throat.

Bringing up my right arm, I am able to slice off the attackers hand at the wrist, my left sword going into the stomach of the one behind me. I am too slow for the next attack, as a dagger, embeds itself into my right shoulder. Dropping my right sword, I swing around slicing into his neck.

Taking a dagger in my left hand, I plunge it into his heart. Looking up I see eight more coming, knowing I am losing strength, with the black blood running down my arm. Dropping my sword in front of me, I kneel down, two daggers in front of me.

Flinging one after the other, I don't wait, before I use the other two that are sheathed on my right thigh. All four hitting their mark. Wincing in pain, I pull the one in my shoulder out, spraying my black blood as it slides out. Wasting no time, I throw the dagger hitting the neck of the warrior three feet in front of me.

Taking the sword, I stand, swaying just slightly on my feet, I bring the sword up, slicing up straight into the warriors groin. I barely managed to block the next attack, as a sharp pain hits the back of my head, as I slipped into darkness.

I wake up to blinding light, as a bag is ripped off my head. "Drink, it is a long ride. The queen wants you alive." A voice to my right says.

"Is that why you cleaned up my wounds?" I ask the massive warrior in front of me.

"I follow the queen, if you bleed out on the way to her, then she will kill my family in front of me, before she cuts my head off." He says.

"So if someone doesn't follow orders, they die? Why does she want me?" I ask, already knowing the answers to both questions.

"Sha, we die and everyone we care about dies as well. I don't know what she will want with you now, except your death. You have spoiled her plans." He says.

"What did she have planned?" I ask him.

"She wanted the commander to rescue you. Turning herself in for you. A trade, your life for hers. She would then return to Polis and make her nightblood the new commander." He says.

"So what happens next?" I ask.

He brings the waterskins to my lips again and says, "I take you to her. She will probably kill you for killing Ontari, starting a war with the commander."

"I get the feeling that you don't want a war." I say.

"Killing someone with your skill and powers, will not be a good thing. I don't want to give you to the queen but I have no choice. I don't want a war, but I will fight in one to save my family, even if I die." He says while putting the bag back on my head.

It is silent as I am thrown on a horse, a rider at my back. I am not sure how long it is before we finally stop for the last time. I know we slept two nights, so we are far into Azgeda lands. I am taken inside a tent, as I hear the flaps open behind us. Pushed to my knees, the bag is taken off of my head. 

The same warrior as before is standing beside me, bowing to Nia, sitting on a throne of bones. "My apologies, my queen. We lost many in capturing Wanheda." He says.

She snaps her hands and a boy brings her a cup of what I can only assume as ale. "It is of no consequence, as long as she is before me. Where is Ontari?" Nia asks.

"I am sorry my queen, she is dead, killed by Wanheda, herself." He tells her.

Nia snaps her fingers and says, "It should have been you. Now you will die in the pits."

Two of her warriors take him away and Nia turns to me and says, "What should I do with you?"

"Whatever you hope to accomplish with taking me, won't work and eventually I will see your demise." I tell her.

She stands up, walks over to me and punches me in the face, blood pooling in my mouth as my teeth cut into my lip and cheeks. I rear back, spitting my black blood into her face. 

She punches me in the stomach next, taking my breath away. "I will enjoy breaking you, much, much more than Lexa's last whore. I will break you and send her your head, before my army attacks." She says. 

"You can try ice bitch. You will find that I don't break easy." I say.

"All the more fun for me." She says while turning to her guards. 

"Strip her, tie her to a tree, use the sap of the pine. The bugs will have her tonight. When the sun rises we will start with thirty lashes." She tells them.

She walks back to her throne as the guards take me out of the tent. After tying me between two trees, the guards strip me of my clothes. I am silent as they apply sap to my back and chest, moving down towards my arms and legs.

It is late at night when I hear a voice in my ear, "Hold on Clarke, help is coming."

I shake my head, "What are you doing here, Echo?"

"Letting you know that you don't die here. Drink this." She says, holding a water skin to my lips.

I drink, tasting something metallic in the water. "What is this? Follow the mission. Don't worry about me." I tell her.

"You are the mission, Clarke. Your mom said that would help slow the blood, so that you don't bleed out too fast. You just have to hold on. I must go now, before someone sees me." She says and disappears.

Sleep never comes as the sun rises and a crowd forms. Blood was already dripping down my body from all the bugs that swarmed around me during the night. I hear people whispering, as I wait.

It doesn't take long, before all is quiet again and Nia stands before me. "Warriors of Azgeda, standing before me is Wanheda. She single handedly killed nearly one hundred of our people, including your commander. Today she pays the price, death by 1000 cuts. Starting with thirty lashes, ending with the loss of her head. I will administer the punishment." She says with an evil smirk on her face.

A guard hands her a whip, with barbs on the end of it and she moves behind me. She flicks the whip out, unrolling it. I hear her grunt, as the end hits my back, wrapping around to my chest. A tear flows down my face, but I will not give her the satisfaction of screaming. She will not break me.

After the tenth lash, my knees buckle out from under me, but still I don't cry out, tears free flowing down my face. Slowly, I stand back up, just as the next lash hits. When the twentieth lash hits, my knees completely collapse. This time I cannot stand back up, but still I refuse to scream out.

With black blood free flowing down my back and chest, I raise the only thing I can, my head. With my head held high, tears no longer falling, she swings the last time, this time wrapping around my face, tearing into my left cheek. 

With the last of my strength, I grab the ropes, stand fully up, and yell out, "You may kill me, Nia, but you will never break me.

As the crowd starts whispering again, Nia leans into my back. One small whimper escapes my lips. Right by my ear, she says, "Before I am finished with you, no one will want to come near you again."

I feel a blade at my neck, as she pulls my head back, blade sawing through my hair. I hear a blade flying through the air, as she falls completely into my back. This time I scream out, as her blade slices into the back of my neck.

A voice that I know so well, rings out, "Jomp em op en yu jomp ai op."

No, Lexa can't be here. There is no way that she can defeat Nia's army alone. 

I hear the sneer in her voice, as Nia speaks, "Commander, I am only trying to seek justice for the warriors this woman killed, including one that is like a daughter to me."

Lexa's voice rings out again, but I can't hear it as I pass out.

Madi's POV

How did I get on a horse, I think as I open my eyes. Gaia behind me on the horse, as we come up to the camp at the mountain. I close my eyes trying to remember what happened. 

Putting my hand against my neck, it comes to me. Clarke used a needle to put me to sleep. There were Azgedian warriors, lots of them. We come to a stop and I jump off the horse, before Gaia can stop me.

I am trying to run back, when I run straight into someone. Anya grabs the back of my shirt, and stops me. "Let me go, I have to save her." I yell.

Raven kneels down in front of me, taking me by the shoulders, "Who Madi? Who do you have to save?"

I don't get the chance to say anything, as Gaia comes up behind us. "You have to stop running away, Madi." She says.

"Who is she talking about, Gaia?" Anya asks.

"Madi escaped, she had just found Clarke, when I caught up with her. Azgeda came before we could leave." Gaia says.

Anya growls and says, "How many were there?"

"Leaving I counted more than forty, before we could get too far, I spotted more than fifty heading towards them. Ontari was with the first group." Gaia says.

"Go inside, call the commander on the radio. Let her know what has happened. I will take some warriors and see if we can't save them. I will take a radio with me." Anya says, while calling out orders for the gonnas at the camp.

I grab Gaia's hand and follow Raven into the mountain. We ride an elevator to the right floor and Raven leads us into a room with lots of computers. Grandma Abby comes in and asks, "What happened?"

Raven shakes her head and grabs the radio, "Octavia, are you there? We have to talk to the commander." She asks.

"Octavia here. What's up Raven?" She asks.

"Give the radio to the commander, Octavia. Something has happened." Raven says.

"Raven, what's happened? Is Clarke there?" Lexa asks.

"Clarke isn't here, they were attacked before they got here. It was Azgeda." Raven says.

It's a few minutes before Lexa comes back on the line. "We are on our way."

Abby turns to me and asks, "How many were traveling with Clarke?"

"It was Clarke, three guards and Lincoln. There were so many warriors. We need to save her." I tell her.

Abby pulls me in her arms, "Call Jake, he can't do much, but he needs to know." She tells Raven as she carries me out of the room, Gaia following close behind.

She carries me to the elevators, and down three floors. Walking into a room with a desk and a bed. "Abby, we can't sleep. We need to help Clarke." I cry out.

She kisses the top of my head and says, "There is nothing we can do. Clarke is strong, the others will find her and bring her back."

"Please, Abby. Let me go help her." I ask again.

"Oh sweetie, no one can help her, not without rest and a plan." She tells me.

"Fine. I will sleep, but when Lexa gets here, I want to see her." I say.

Gaia takes my hand and says, "I will wake you up, natblida, I promise."

I am not sure that I believe them, but I close my eyes and fall asleep.

Lexa's POV

The pain in my head is not going away, and I now feel a sharp pain in my shoulder. I fear the worst, thinking something must be wrong. Just as the gates open and I see a man that looks so much like Clarke, right down to his sky blue eyes, I hear Raven on the radio asking for me.

Octavia hands me the radio and I speak into it after pushing the button down, "Raven, what's happened? Is Clarke there?"

"Clarke isn't here, they were attacked before they got here. It was Azgeda." She says and my heart drops.

"We are on our way." I say into the radio as I turn my horse around, kicking his sides, not caring who follows or if they can keep up.

I race through the woods, my warriors and Octavia keeping up better than I thought they would. We make just as they are putting a Lincoln on a liter. Hopping off of my horse before he has completely stopped, I look all around me. 

Everywhere I step, I have to step over bodies. I pass by the three guards sent with Lincoln and Clarke, on my way over to Lincoln and Anya. Lincoln is unconscious, as I turn to Anya, "What happened? Is Clarke here?" I ask her.

She takes my hand, squeezes it and says, "We don't know everything. We found Clarke's swords and daggers. I have them on my horse. We searched for her, we found Ontari dead, with many warriors as well. There were heaving footprints leading north, like someone was caring someone, with spots of black blood on the ground and some trees. Then all traces of them just disappeared."

I shake my still pounding head and say, "I have to find her Anya."

I turn to leave, but Anya stops me, grabbing my arm. She looks in my eyes and says, "We will find her, first we have to get Lincoln to Abby and wait until morning. There is no way that we can pick up the trail at night and we need supplies. I promise we will find her."

I close my eyes, a lone tear falling down my face, and say, "You're right, Anya. I can't lose her. Let's get Lincoln to the mountain and see if he knows anything."

I won't accept that she is gone. We hop back on our horses and make our way back to the mountain. Why would they stop? They are less than an hour to the mountain. These are questions we will have to ask Lincoln.

When we are a few minutes away, Anya radios Raven and tells her that we are almost there and that we need Abby. As we pull in and hop off our horses, gonnas come and take them for us.

Abby comes out the mountain as Ryder and Gustus pick up Lincoln's litter. We walk into the mountain, taking the elevator down to medical. As we enter the mountain, Abby turns to me and asks, "Clarke?"

I shake my head, a tear falling down my face and say, "We don't know. It's too late to search tonight, but we hope Lincoln knows more than we do. I will find her."

She nods and turns to Lincoln and says, "I will see what I can do."

As she is helping Lincoln, the doors open and in runs Madi, Gaia right behind her. She jumps into my arms and asks, "Did you find Clarke?"

After hugging her for a minute I answer, "No, but I will. How are you here little one?"

Gaia goes to speak, but I hold my hand up, waiting for Madi. "I escaped. I wanted to help you both."

"Do you know what happened?" I ask her.

She nods her head and says, "Some of it. There were Azgeda gonnas behind us. Clarke took me to her horse. There were so many gonnas. She stuck something in my neck and I woke up here."

I turn to Gaia and ask, "How many Azgedian's were there?"

"Too many Heda. She told me to get on the horse and get Madi out of there. At first, there were close to forty that I could see. On the way here, we barely managed to slip through about the same amount. I am sorry Heda. I had to save Madi." She says.

I squeeze her hand and say, "You did the right thing Gaia. You got Madi here. Thank you. We will find Clarke. I won't rest till we do."

It isn't long before Abby calls me over. "He will be fine in a few days. It seems Clarke stopped the bleeding, before the last attack. He is awake, but he won't be for long."

I walk over to the bed that he is in. Octavia is on one side so I go to the other. Lincoln lowers his head and says, "I am sorry Heda. I couldn't save her. I will take my punishment."

I shake my head sadly, before I speak, "Lincoln, I saw the battlefield. You have nothing to be sorry about. There will be no punishments. I do however need to ask you a few questions."

"Sha Heda. Anything. I just hope it helps you find her." He says.

"How many were there? Who killed Ontari? What happened?" I ask.

"I was in a tree, when I saw Gaia and Madi. Behind them were forty six warriors. After Clarke sent Madi away, they surrounded us. We were separated, but kept fighting. We had almost cleared all of them when Ontari showed up." He says, before he starts coughing.

I bring a cup with a straw up to his lips and he drinks. After a moment, he continues, "Ontari took out the three with us, before getting me in the back. I hit a rock on the way down. When I woke up, she was dead and Clarke had stopped the bleeding on my wounds."

He closes his eyes, and says, "There were more warriors coming out of the trees. I counted forty three before Clarke looked at me, she told me that they only wanted her, alive. She told me to tell you that she loves you and to complete the mission. She then knocked me out. I am sorry Heda. That is all I know. She saved me, when I was supposed to be protecting her."

I reach over and squeeze his hand and say, "You did well Lincoln. We will find her." 

I pull away as he falls back asleep. I turn to Raven and Anya and say, "Find Indra and Tristan and meet us in the control room."

We head to the control room, Octavia joining us. As we get there, Monty and Bellamy are there. It doesn't take long before the others arrive, Abby included.

Bellamy looks around the room and asks, "What's going on? Where is Clarke? She was supposed to be here."

I look at him and say, "Azgeda has her. We are trying to make plans to get her back."

Bellamy shakes his head and says, "When is the princess not in trouble."

I hop over the table, kicking him in the groin, my knife at his throat. As he lay there, holding himself, glaring at me, I say, "I don't want to kill you Bellamy, but one more word about Clarke and I will."

I turn to Ryder and say, "Lock him up in a cage, until we have Clarke back. She can decide what to do with him."

No one says a word, not even Octavia. Raven turns to Monty and asks, "Can you bring up a map of the area and north of it, say a hundred miles?"

"Sure, just give me a minute." He says.

His fingers fly over the keyboard, and after a few moments he stops, a map in front of him on the screen and another on the one hanging on the wall. Raven looks at the map and says, "There is only one way that they left, take out the path from Arcadia and the path from the mountain."

Tristan looks at us and says, "The Azgeda border is thirty miles from where she was taken. When they reached that point, more than likely they split up, making any trail that we find, pointless."

"Also, heading that far north, we will need more supplies. It might be another month or so before winter here, but it has already hit up there." Anya says.

"True, with winter there already, it will make it harder to find where they took her." Indra says.

"Clarke told me that the only Azegadian that she could trust, besides Echo is Roan." Madi says.

"Roan was always loyal to Clarke, his people, and whoever held the flame. Echo is out, until we are closer to finding Clarke. Echo isn't scheduled to contact us for another week. I fear it will be too late by then." Raven tells us.

"We know where we can find Roan, this time of year. He would know which camp his mother is in, just so that he could avoid her." Anya says.

"Wherever she was taken won't be more than fifty miles from the border. Nia is impatient, she wouldn't have wanted to have to wait that long for her prize, but also be far enough away, that she could head back to her place, before true winter hits." Tristan says. 

Indra slams her hand on the table, and says, "None of this matters, not till we find Roan. What we need is a plan of extraction, when we get there. Everyone knows Nia. She will start torturing Clarke, as soon as she arrives." 

"What kind of torture are we talking about?" Abby asks.

I close my eyes, knowing that Indra is right. "Nia will start with her fists, moving on to lashing. She will finish with death by 1000 cuts. That she will take her time with, slowly cutting and burning her. She will want her completely broken before she dies. There are other things she would do, but those forms of torture are for when she wants information." I say.

"So regardless of when you get there, she will need medical attention?" Abby says.

"We will need the army, but it will have to be a silent army." I tell them.

"What do you mean? Lexa, you can't go in there alone." Anya says.

"I am not talking about alone. Roan and a few would enter with me, with Tristan leading the army. Tristan would wait for our signal to attack, but I am hoping that it won't come to that." I say.

"So what you are saying, is that Clarke will be tortured even more, while you wait?" Abby says.

As I grip the table, all the pain and rage that I feel, with her in the clutches of Nia consumes me. Picking up the table, I fling it across the room, collapsing back into a chair, tears collecting in my eyes, that refuse to fall.

After a moment, I stand up and move over to Abby, taking her hand and squeezing it, before saying, "I love Clarke. If there was any other way, I would do it. If we storm in, then she will be dead, with the queen escaping. With Nia, she takes a break in-between torture methods. After the lashing, her people will disperse, giving us time to extract her."

"Is there anyway that we can give Clarke something, before that happens?" Abby asks.

I shake my head and say, "It's possible. Roan could pass it to Echo. Echo would be trusted enough to give Clarke water or something like that. Why? What do you have in mind?"

"Lashing alone can kill someone, depending on how bad the lashing and how much blood is lost. Coagulant is meant to be applied externally. Yet, there is a way to ingest it. It would take precise measurements, but it could be then added to a waterskin. It would thin her blood. Meaning she would last much longer." Abby says.

I think about it for a moment, and ask, "How long would it take you to make it?" I ask her.

She closes her eyes, and I can just hear her thinking, before she finally answers, "Give or take, three to four hours. It will take about thirty minutes to test it, but the testing is to just make me 100% sure that it is safe for her to ingest."

"Ok, Abby, go head. See to it, while we finish planning." I tell her.

Abby walks out of the room, I turn to Madi, gathering her in my arms, giving a big hug and say, "Madi, we will figure this out and bring Clarke back. Why don't you get something to eat and rest. Clarke will want to know that you are taking care of yourself."

"You promise you will bring her back, Leksa?" She asks me.

"I promise, little one. I will bring her back." I tell her.

"Good, but stay safe. Clarke can't lose you, she never stopped loving you. She would look at her drawings of you and cry at night, sometimes." Madi says.

"I love her too, Madi, so very much. I will bring her back." I say giving her a kiss on top of her head, nodding to Gaia, who takes her out of the room.

I turn to Raven and ask, "Raven, what can you have ready by the time Abby is finished, by the way of small explosives?" I ask her.

"I had started on some exploding tips for arrows, before the mountain, but they were not ready in time. If you give me a few hours and Monty to help, I can have close to a hundred read. It will just be a quick snap on. They are designed perfectly to fit on an arrow. They will have to be wrapped, in order to keep them from accidently exploding, during travel." She says. 

"Good, can you two start now? That will give you plenty of time to instruct those that will be using them." I tell her.

"Sure thing commander, we've got this." Raven says as they both walk out of the door.

"Now what are you thinking, Leksa?" Indra asks.

"Ok, we will find Roan, he will take us to the camp. He will signal for Echo, who will give Clarke the waterskin. Roan will rejoin us. Most of Nia's camps have an entrance and an exit, with no other way out. Tristan will lead half the army to the exit, taking half of the special arrows with them." I say.

"And the other half, Heda?" Gustus asks.

"The other half will cover the entrance, being led by Indra and Octavia. Anya, Gustus, Ryder, Roan, and I will enter the camp together. Hopefully, we will not need the army." I say.

Anya shakes her head, and asks, "How do you figure, Leksa? Nia never travels with less than 500 warriors, if we count the nearly eighty that Clarke killed, jok that's a lot, for one to fight alone. There are still going to be over 400 warriors."

"We all know that most of Nia's army are slaves, or those that are forced to fight, or lose their loved ones. The moment we walk into the camp, I will announce my challenge. If she refuses, she will seem weak. She won't be able to have a champion fight in her stead, because it is her strength that is in question." I say.

"You can't be serious, Leksa. One wrong move, and she will kill you. Then all is lost. You're really not thinking about this?" Indra asks.

"I am not considering this, I am doing it. I can beat Nia, on any day. Roan will become King and we will have another ally out of Azgeda. This way we get everything that we need and we don't need more bloodshed than is needed. If I should fall, Gustus will get my body back to Polis and Ryder will take Clarke's to Arcadia. When they are gone, the army can attack. My decision is final. Now go prepare some supplies." I tell them. 

As they leave the room, the tears start flowing, "I am coming, Clarke. This is not the end for us."

A few hours later the others joined me outside of the mountain not only to test Raven's new arrows that she just happened to name a flying boom. It was a success and while we are waiting, I am in a radiation suit, so I can contain the leak from the canister of nuclear fuel. 

As I finish transferring it to another container, per Raven's instructions, I leave the room sealing it tight, just in case. Taking the radiation suit off, go through decontamination, promptly throw up.

Heading to the next room, I see Abby, who hands me two pills and a waterskin. "I finished testing it a few minutes ago and thought you would need something to help with radiation poisoning. With your nightblood, the nausea and headache should clear up in the next thirty minutes."

Taking her hand and squeezing it, I say, "Thank you, Abby."

She pulls me into a hug and says, "Don't thank me, sweetie. Just bring our girl home, no matter the condition, she will heal."

I continue to hug her for a moment, drawing strength from her, before pulling back and nodding. We walk back out of the Mountain, hopping on our horses, heading north. It doesn't take us long to find Roan, apparently he was expecting us.

"Roan." I say.

"Heda." He says.

"Do you know what camp your mother would have taken Wanheda?" I ask him.

"Being that she is a prisoner that was taken to unnerve you, she would have taken her to the same place that she took Costia. It is about forty miles northeast of here." He says. 

"And you have no problem doing what it takes to help us get her back?" I ask him.

"The things my mother does are wrong, the things she believes are wrong. All she wants in this life is power and she doesn't care who she kills to get it. If it takes my mother out of power, then I will do anything to free my people." He says.

"Then let's go free our people and make you a king." I say and we ride away, the others following.

It's turning dark, when Roan stops and we all do the same. He turns to me and says, "It's about a mile this way, from here on out, we go on foot, silently. At midday, the other half of the army can take their place. Echo will notice my signal and meet us in the trees behind the camps entrance. It's cold for your people, but no fires." 

About two hours later, a hundred yards from the camp, Echo meets Roan and he hands her the waterskin, as he comes back to us and she heads back into the camp. Through a looking glass that Raven found in the mountain, I watch as Clarke is tied between two trees, stripped. 

I wanted to run to her then, but I knew that both of us would die. Clenching my fists, till blood drips from them, I watch as they apply something to her body, using rags, probably sap. One of them has their hands lingering a bit too long, in certain places, before the other one knocks him upside the head.

The one that took no liberties with her, bows his head and whispers something in her ear, more than likely an apology. I wait, till just before the sun rises and see Echo helping Clarke drink from the waterskin. When Echo leaves it isn't ten minutes, before Nia walks out of her tent with a smile on her face.

I can't hear the speech she gives, but it isn't but a few seconds before her guard hands her a whip and I flinch at the barbs on the end of it. Anya places her hand on my shoulder, as if to stop me from trying to save Clarke at that moment. 

We continue to watch as my heart breaks with every lash of the whip. I count each one, as Echo said that there would be thirty, much more than most people can handle, without breaking. Not once does Clarke cry out, as we slowly advance on the camp.

Just as we silently enter the camp, Nia hands off her whip and most of the camp disperse, heading into tents. Nia pulls out her dagger and I do the same. I watch as she pulls Clarke's head back, putting the dagger under her hair, just at the top of her neck, and I let my dagger fly.

It lands in the back of Nia's left shoulder, causing her to stumble into Clarke. Clarke cries out and I yell out, mainly to let Clarke know that I am here, "Jomp em op en yu jomp ai op."

I walk up to Nia and she turns around and I hear the hate in her voice as she says, "Commander, I am only trying to seek justice for the warriors this woman killed, including one that is like a daughter to me."

I shake my head and say, "Your reign of terror ends today. Nia kom Azgeda Kru, I challenge you to a fight to the death. Are you too weak to fight me by yourself, or will you take the cowards way out and find a champion to fight your battle."

Knowing there is know choice, but to fight me herself, Nia pulls her sword out at the same time that I pull mine out, and says, "The only weakness I see is you and the love you have for Wanheda."

We circle our way around each other, taking our time, and as we step into Clarke's view, she cries out again. I am momentarily distracted as she loses consciousness. I barely manage to side step Nia's blade, it just slightly catches me on the right arm, making a thin slice. 

"Is that the best that you can do Nia, a scratch." I taunt.

She gives me an evil smirk and says, "Kill me or not, you won't live to tell the tale."

I know then that her blade is coated in poison. I will have to make this fight quick, just hoping that I can kiss Clarke one more time, before I die. Side stepping her blade again, I manage to slice into the same shoulder that my knife is still embedded in. 

Spinning around, I just bring my blade up in time to block hers. Sliding to my knees, I slice into the back of her thighs and say, "You have had it wrong all these years, Nia. Love is strength."

Fighting off dizziness, I slowly stand, bringing my blade across her neck, cutting it clean off her shoulders. 

As her body falls to the ground and her head rolls the other direction, I turn to the crowd and yell out, "The queen is dead, long live the king."

I feel my knees buckle under me, as Anya rushes to my side, just catching me as I fall, and I whisper to her, "Feisbona, take care of Clarke."

Indra's POV

As the fight ends, I run into camp, leaving Octavia in charge. I look over to see Gustus and Ryder taking Clarke down from the trees and wrapping her up in a blanket. Looking back at Heda I notice her fall to the ground and pass out. I rush over to Nia's body, taking her sword, I smell the blade, and call out, "Natfaya."

Roan runs into a tent and brings out a jar. "Seems my mother only had half of the ingredients needed to cure Natfaya."

Gustus yells out, "Wanheda has been poisoned as well, through a cut on her neck."

Grabbing Roan by the arm, I swing my sword up to his neck and ask, "Is there enough for two doses in that jar. Where can we find the rest of the ingredients for the cure?" 

"A trade station run by a friend, Nylah and her dad, Rafal. It's about six hours from here, but we have to hurry, most people die in the first eight hours of the poison getting into their blood."

Roan carefully carries Leksa over to Gustus's horse and hands her to him. Ryder already had Clarke with him on his horse. Roan puts the jar in Gustus's bag and says, "Head to Nylah's, tell her that it is Natfaya, hurry, you only have about seven hours, or they could both die."

Anya follows them as Roan and I hop on our horses and to let Tristan know what has happened, before we head to Nylah's ourselves. I can only hope that they make it in time and Nylah has what they need. Our people can't lose either of them and neither can I.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun chapter to write. Sorry if the ending upsets people, just remember one thing, I live for happy endings.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy. Also, thanks Lockie, for all the help.


	13. Chapter 13 "Secrets of an entwined flame"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Lexa fight the poison in their systems. There might be a tad bit of jealousy and someone might get a bit mad, but that sometimes happens. Clarke and Lexa face an old enemy. Can they make it out of this one alive, while still healing from the last fight?

Chapter 13 "The secrets of an entwined flame"

Nylah's POV

Ai Nontu should be coming home soon from the mountain. I tried to get him to stay this time, but he wouldn't have it, so they captured him again. I heard through the warriors that came through about Clarke. She sure did change a few things this time.

From Fighting to the death to saving a village of innocent Trikru, by killing her own. Then there was the mountain, she saved many of their lives as well. I heard a few hours ago that she fought off hundreds of Azgedian warriors all by herself, saving Octavia's beloved.

I don't know all about that. Maybe if she had the right weapons on her, maybe, but I have seen her fight. She doesn't give up when others would. It's part of why I fell in love with her, even if I know she can never return my feelings. 

I still worry about her. Word is that she was captured, and I really hope not. It's also going around that the commander went to save her. If she did get taken, I hope that rumor is right. It would mean that the commander returns Clarke's feelings. All I ever want is for her to be happy. If anyone deserves that it is her, and spirit knows she hasn't had much happiness in her life.

I hear horses coming and I frown. They are coming fast, and more than a few. It doesn't take but a few minutes before they are in front of me and I see the flash of blonde hair, that can only be Clarke's. "What is the meaning of this? What has happened to Clarke." I cry out.

A tall blonde warrior climbs off her horse and gives me a death glare before speaking, "Your commander and Wanheda needs your help. The queen is dead, she used poison on her blade. King Roan says you have the other ingredients for Natfaya? You will help them or die."

She tosses me a jar, and helps the warriors with Clarke and the commander. Shaking my head, as the shock wears off I lead them to my bedroom. "Lay them on the bed, and boil some water. When did this happen." I ask Anya, who I know is the Commander's fos.

"Jok, what does it matter? Just make the cure." Anya sneers at me.

"It matters because how long it has been, determines the potency, the amount that I will need for the cure. Too much and I could kill them, too little and it would do any good. Natfaya does care if you are natblida or not. It attacks just as hard as if you are kolajus." I tell her.

"Heda was poisoned during her fight with Nia, Clarke just before it. It was a six hour ride. We made it in less than four. Now heal them or die." Anya says.

"We don't have much time." I say.

I move to my shelves, taking various ingredients down and a bowl, just as one of the warriors brings me a pot of boiling water. I pour half of it in the bowl, with all the ingredients, including the jar. Grabbing my flask of cool water, I pour it into a bigger bowl, to cool. "It is done, we have to wait just a few moments for it to cool." I tell her.

Anya nods and turns Clarke over on her stomach and I gasp, "While we wait you will clean and heal Wanheda's other wounds." She says.

It breaks my heart seeing the lash marks all over her beautiful body. Grabbing another flask, this one filled with medicine intended to stop infection, I ever so gently start cleaning her wounds, a single tear flowing down my cheek. I finish by spreading a pain relieving salve over her back and breasts.

Turning to Anya, I say, "The first few days, these wounds will drain. I will have to keep cleaning and salve for at least a week. The cure should be cooled by now. I have to apply it to their wounds as well as sit them up and force them to drink. If I don't get it inside of them, they will die."

"You will help your Heda first." Anya says, while helping her sit up.

I spread the mixture on Heda's arm and then open her mouth, pouring a bit at a time, I rub her throat to get her to swallow it. The process takes a while but is effective. I really didn't want to have to stick a tube down Heda's throat.

Anya gently lays the commander back down and we move over to Clarke. I spread the mixture on her neck, and Anya flips her over gently. Just as I am about to pour it down Clarke's throat, she starts seizing, and stops breathing. "Jok, there is a tube on one of those shelves bring it, now." I say, while starting compressions on her chest.

At fifteen I cover her nose and breathe for her. This process goes one for a few minutes, "Dammit, Clarke, this is not how your fight ends. Now, fight." I yell at her, while resuming my compressions.

Finally she coughs, but doesn't wake up. I push the tube down Clarke's throat, tears flowing down my cheeks. Using a funnel, I pour the rest of the mixture down the tube, slowly. Turning to Anya, I say, "She needs to lay on her stomach, in order for her back to heal properly. It will take much longer for her to wake than Heda, if at all. She should have a blood transfusion, but the only other person here that is natblida, is in no condition to donate."

"What does that mean?" Anya asks.

"It means that she should have blood from someone else, but it isn't an option. You can use black blood on others, but you can't use red blood on someone with black blood, they will die. It just means that it will take Clarke a bit longer to heal and I will have to watch her closer." I tell Anya.

Anya looks into my eyes, after turning Clarke over, and says, "It seems that you have training in Skaikru medicine. You remember the past timeline."

I nod my head and say, "I do remember and I also have some Skaikru training. Mostly from Clarke's mom, then her second after she died."

"That isn't all. You have feelings for Clarke. Does she return those feelings?" Anya asks.

"My feelings for Clarke are just that, my feelings. She does not return them and I am ok with that, as long as she is happy. Still, seeing her like this, hurts. She is stronger than anyone I know. She will come back to us, back to Heda. I just hope Heda treats her the way that she should be treated." I tell Anya.

"I have never seen Lexa like she was when Clarke was taken. I can't speak for their relationship, but I will say that Lexa cares for Clarke more than I have ever seen her care for someone before. Just make sure that you take care of them both, I don't think Lexa will recover well if something happens to Clarke." Anya says.

Anya walks out the door and I sit down next to Clarke in a chair, taking her hand. I will find myself going back and forth from them both in the next few days, keeping water down both of them. Anya brings food when needed, checking on both of them. 

It is in the middle of the third day, I am holding Clarke's hand and running the fingers of my other in her hair, when I feel a blade at my neck.

Lexa's POV 

Pain floods my whole body all I want to do is keep my eyes closed, sinking further into sleep. One thought causes my eyes to fly open, Clarke. Searching the room, I see her. Someone has their hands all over her and a searing heat forms in my heart, as I stand up, grabbing a dagger off of the table.

Silently I make my way over to them, each step sending waves of pain throughout my body, but none of that matters. The only thing that matters is Clarke. Sliding behind the woman, running her fingers through Clarke's hair as she kisses Clarke's fingers, I place my blade against her neck, "I would step away, if I were you, slowly." I growl in their ear.

She takes a few steps back and says, "Heda, you shouldn't be up and walking yet."

"I will be the judge of that. Who are you?" I ask her.

"I am a trader and a healer. My name is Nylah. I healed you and Clarke from the poison in your systems." She says.

"If you are just a healer, then why were you touching Clarke so familiarly? Kissing is not in your job description and kissing someone that is unconscious, is never the way to go. Ridiyo op." I ask her.

"Heda, I will not lie to you. Clarke and I know each other and I remember before. I do have feelings for her, but she doesn't feel the same, she never has. She only has feelings for one person. I am ok with that. I would never force anything. Yet, I can't stop myself from worrying about her." Nylah says.

I release her, still not liking her, but Clarke is more important. Taking a step towards Clarke, asking, "How long have we been out? How is Clarke?"

"A little over three days, Heda. Clarke is healing well, but with the loss of blood she sustained, and her injuries, it will take much longer for her to wake up and heal." Nylah says.

I close my eyes, feeling guilty for not getting to Clarke sooner. After a moment I open them and ask, "How long before she wakes up?"

"Three maybe four days, I think. It could be a bit longer, but she will wake up. Until then, we have to keep water in her. She could die without it." Nylah says.

Before I can ask any more questions, the door opens and in walks Anya. She must notice the tension in the air, but says nothing about it. "I am glad that you are awake, Heda. I brought sanch." She says.

Nylah looks at it and says, "It's been days since Heda has eaten anything. She should start with some soup, maybe some bread. Meat will be hard on her stomach. Just for a few meals, then she can start slowly eating heavier meals."

Anya looks at me and I nod, sending her back outside. It isn't long before she returns with soup and bread. After eating I stand next to Clarke the bed Clarke is sleeping on, exhaustion filling every bone in my body. 

"You should rest Heda. I am sure that Clarke would feel better, with you next to her." Nylah says.

I look at Nylah and ask, "I won't hurt her?"

"You will have to be careful, but it should be fine and would help her. I have been watching her fevers, they come and go. Body heat will help with the chills from it, but it wasn't my place to lay with her." Nylah says.

"Gon we." I tell her as I lay down with Clarke.

Nylah and Anya leave the room and I pull Clarke's hair off of her shoulder, gently kissing her neck. I take her hand in mine, carefully drawing circles on her arm, whispering in her ear, "I am here, hodnes. I will not leave you."

I lay like that for hours, before sleep finally takes me. It takes just over four days, never leaving her side, when I feel her start to stir. I have been in constant contact with Abby and Jake, just letting them know how she is every day.People have come and gone, even Nylah's father. "Lexa." Clarke says, while trying to get up.

"I am here, hodnes. You're ok, you're safe." I say as she lays back down on the bed.

"You fought Nia?" She asks.

"I did, she is dead, but not before poisoning us both. Roan is king." I tell her.

"I thought I was dying. I know this place. How am I here?" She asks.

I kiss her fingers, and say, "Roan brought us here. Nylah had what we needed for the cure."

I really don't want to hear anything about Nylah. Besides, my dreams, Clarke's dreams told me everything. It's upsetting, but I know that she doesn't love Nylah like she does me. "Oh, I am sorry." She says and goes quiet.

"Clarke, you have nothing to be sorry about. I know and it is ok." I tell her.

"I never wanted you to find out, not like this. I could never feel about her the way that I did you. I used her, I didn't know it at the time, but I did. I just wanted to feel something at the time, something that wasn't pain or anger. This time around, I stopped anything from happening. There was only one person that I wanted to be with, in this body."

"Clarke, it's ok. I might not like it, but that is ok. I am sure that you didn't like me mentioning Costia. None of that matters. What matters is that we are together, the past has no meaning in the present or the future." I say while squeezing her fingers.

I am just about to get up to see about getting some sanch, for Clarke, when Daren, Nylah's Nontu walks in with a tray, and says, "My apologies, Heda, Wanheda. I thought I heard voices and thought I would bring you sanch." 

"Mochof, Daren. We will eat and get some more rest." I tell him.

He nods, sets the tray down and walks out of the room. I help Clarke sit up so that she can eat, making sure her back doesn't touch anything. "Why does my chest feel like a Pauna attacked me?" She asks.

"Anya told me that you stopped breathing, and Nylah saved you." I say, a single tear falling down my cheek.

She squeezes my hand, "I am sorry that you had to deal with that." She says.

"All that matters is that you are safe and healing. The spirits were fighting for us to reunite." I say.

After we finish eating, I set the tray on the table and stiffen as Nylah comes in. "Sorry Heda, it is time for her salve and dad said that she is awake."

"She is awake, I can take care of her. Leave the salve and take the tray on your way out." I say.

Clarke looks upset, she looks at me and asks, "Lexa, what happened to Nylah's neck?"

I can tell that she already knows, but I wouldn't have lied about it anyways. "I held a knife to her neck when I first woke up." I say.

She frowns, before trying to get up. I push her gently back down, "You need rest, my love." I tell her.

"I will rest when you tell me how bad you hurt my friend, that saved us both? And why did you think it was a good idea to hold a knife to her throat?" Clarke asks me.

I swallow hard, remembering just how it felt to be on the receiving end of Clarke's anger. "I am sorry. I woke up and she was sitting beside your bed and had her hands on you kissing the top of your head. I didn't know who she was, but even if I did know, I am not sure I would have been able to stop myself."

Clarke relaxes a bit and asks, "Why? What do you mean you wouldn't have been able to stop yourself?"

"My blade barely scratched her, but I had to know who she was. She was kissing you Clarke and I didn't like it. I am sorry that I hurt someone that you care about." I tell her.

Clarke shakes her head and says, "Lexa, I get it. I do, but Nylah is different. She is my friend, but there is more to it than that. I told you, I used her feelings to make myself feel something, anything. It was wrong, but at the time I didn't even realize that I was doing it. I don't and never will feel about her like she wants, but she knows that now. I only feel that way about you and that is something that will never change."

"I would do it again though. At the time, she seemed like a threat to you. I will not sit there and let anyone put you in danger or take advantage of you when you don't have a choice. I didn't kill her though, not till I questioned her. You taught me to ask first before killing someone. I am still sorry that I upset you, that is the last thing that I wanted to do." I say.

"Oh Lexa, I would have probably done the same thing. Yes, you upset me and it won't be the last time. I sometimes get angry too fast, and stay angry longer, but I am getting better at it. Last time I stayed angry too long and lost precious time with you. I need you to know that just because I get angry, it doesn't mean that I don't love you. That is something that will never change." She says.

"There is something else that we should discuss." I tell her.

"What is that, my love? She asks.

"I could feel you, when you were taken. I didn't know it at the time, I had sharp pains in my head. Then I felt Nia hit you, before the lashing. It was the only thing that kept me sane, knowing that you weren't hurt too bad. It killed me having to watch them lash you, I felt every single lash, but that isn't all." I say.

"I felt you, giving me your strength, I should have passed out long before you showed up, but I didn't even cry out. Right before I passed out, I heard you. I shouldn't have been able to, with my injuries and so close to passing out. I also heard you talking to Nia and the crowd after I passed out. How is that even possible" she says.

Shaking my head, I say, "I don't know, but maybe it has something to do with the tingling we felt in our necks, back at the falls. Maybe when we became one, the flames became one."

After kissing her fingers, I open the salve and start massaging it in, ever so gently. "Raven was right. I think we need to test it more. It could come in handy, at some point." She says.

Closing the salve and setting it aside, I lay back next to her. "How does this make you feel? With being able to feel everything I feel and think, maybe even talking to each other with our minds?" I ask.

"Truth, I didn't think it was possible, even after Raven said it was, but if anyone has access to everything that is me, then I am so glad that it is you." She says.

Pulling myself closer to her, I kiss her slowly. After pulling slightly away and resting my head on hers, I say, "I agree, you're the only one. I would tell you all of that anyways. So to just feel it, I think is a good thing."

"It is the same for me." She says while yawning.

"Sleep, my love. We can talk more tomorrow." I say after kissing the palm of her hand. 

Before she can respond I hear her breathing even out and she is fast asleep. For a while I stay up just watching her, happy to know she is safe. Eventually though, my eyes close and I fall as well.

Clarke's POV

It's been three days since I first woke up, it's going to take a few more days or so longer for my back to heal, but it is healed enough that we are ready to head back to the mountain. The tension between Lexa and Nylah have gotten a bit better, but it is still there, maybe one day it will go away. It would probably be the same, with me and Costia, if she was still alive. 

Lexa is helping the others with the horses, we have been talking some, over distances the past few days. We know there is so much more we have to learn about the flames, but one thing at a time. 

The door opens and in walks Lexa, "Are you ready, hodness." She asks.

I walk over to her and kiss her, before saying, "Now I am."

We walk out and I head over to Nylah and her dad, giving them each a quick hug, "Thank you for helping us, my friends." I tell them.

"We wouldn't be here to help either of you if it weren't for you." Her dad says.

I nod and turn to Nylah, "If you don't mind, could you head to the mountain in a few days? I am sure that my mom could use the help." I ask.

"You don't even have to ask, I will be there by the end of the week." Nylah says.

Turning back to her dad, handing him a radio, "With Nylah heading to the mountain for a while, I need someone here with a radio, in case we are needed. Nylah can show you how to use it." I tell him.

"I am happy to help with communications." He says. 

I nod and head to the horses, Lexa helping me on hers, before hopping on behind me. We ride slowly as my injuries won't be able to handle going any faster. I lean back slowly, as Lexa wraps her arm around my stomach.

We are about halfway to the mountain when we see it, a small battle. Lexa hops off the horse and helps me down as well. We count eighteen Trikru dead, and two Skaikru as well. Looking over the bodies, I notice the bullet holes. 

Lexa takes my hand and squeezes, as I close my eyes. In the distance, through the trees I hear it, someone crying. "I couldn't let him do it again. I couldn't follow him, he is mad."

I recognize the next voice, "It isn't your fault, you saved many lives today and we won't forget it. Now be still, I have to stop the bleeding."

Finally seeing them, through the trees, I rush to them. There is Indra and Hannah Green. Lexa hands me my medkit and I get to work. I start by using Raven's freeze stick on her wrist. Her hand is gone and she is bleeding out fast. By the time I am finished with Hannah, I turn to one of our guards and say, "Take her to the mountain, and make haste, she doesn't have long."

He carries her to his horse, without a word and takes off at a very high speed. I hope he makes it in time. I turn my attention to Indra, quickly taking care of her shoulder wound, I ask, "What happened?"

"It happened so fast. They came out of the trees, silently. Hannah turned her gun on them, as did a few of the other Skaikru with them. There were twelve, but Pike was leading them. Hannah stepped in front of me. I still took the bullet to the shoulder, but she lost her hand in a spray of bullets. Pike didn't stay long enough to check for bodies." She says.

"I couldn't stop him this time. I never wanted for this to happen. I thought that we still had time. Was Bellamy a part of it?" I say while looking off into the distance.

"Bellamy is in a cage for smarting off. He had no part in it this time. He just still doesn't always think before he speaks. This isn't your fault either. This is all Pike's doing and we will find him. He will serve justice for crimes against Trikru and Skaikru." Lexa says squeezing my fingers.

"Indra, head back to the mountain, bring help. I need the best trackers. We will find Pike." I say knowing that Indra is strong enough to make it, even injured. 

She nods and one of the guards hands her a horse and then she is gone. As we start looking, it appears like we might not need the trackers, as they have clearly made their path known. Even I can see where Pike tried to cover his tracks.

After a few hours, it hits me, I know where he is and exactly where he got his guns. I thought we cleared them out of the bunker, but I guess not. I should have checked it more thoroughly myself. Lexa nods her head, a clear sign that she has heard my thoughts. She shakes her head and I can hear her speaking in my head, 'This is not your fault, Clarke. Let's find the natrona. He will pay.'

We still follow the tracks for a while, only confirming where Pike is. It is then that I see them, red laser dots on our chests. I freeze and everyone else does the same. Coming out of the trees, I see him, the only one who doesn't have a gun pointed at us.

"Clarke Griffin, you are a traitor to your people, taking up with these savages. You and the commander will come with us. The others can stay here, tied up, of course." He calls out.

I turn to the others and say, "If we don't turn ourselves in, we will be dead before we can take two steps. Toss your weapons, we will get out of this. Tell Anya that Bellamy needs to check out the second art supply store, so that he can help Raven with the power plants." 

Ryder nods, confirming that he understands. I know that both Raven and Bellamy will understand my hidden message and know exactly where we are. Lexa squeezes my fingers, as I turn back to Pike, both of us laying our weapons down. "You have us Pike. You win." I tell him.

Pike smiles at us, as his lackies shoot our guards in the chest. I know that they will be just fine, with their armour on. I am the only one without armour, it would open up my wounds. After knocking Lexa out, they do the same to me.

I wake up chained to a wall, Lexa next to me, pain shooting down my back. I feel the blood slowly rolling down. It doesn't take but a few minutes before two guards come into the room. They unlock my chains, hauling me up and out of the room. Lexa talking to me in my mind, 'Ste, yuj, hodness. Ignore them, talk to me.'

'Soon, I need to see what he wants, waste some time maybe.' I tell her in my own mind. 

I am taken to a room with two chairs and a table, Pike sitting in one of the chairs. I am thrown into the other, as the guards leave the room. Interrogation it is, maybe some torture while we are at it. I am not sure that my body can handle too much.

"Clarke Griffin, my best student, until two years ago. I had to know what changed, besides the Ark dying. I had my spies, even one amongst the 100. Seems you killed Finney boy soon after landing. I had him convinced that he was in love with you and that the commander would eventually kill you. Truth is it wasn't too hard, he was never all there, but you killing one of our own is treason." Pike says.

"He committed treason, going against the council, the Chancellor and me. Do you know what the clans call me?" I ask.

"Please, enlighten me." He says with folded hands.

"Wanheda, commander of death. I have been responsible for more lives than the Ark ever held. I am in charge in every situation, and as for you, you won't live out the week. This is my promise to you." I tell him.

He stands up and walks over to me. "One thing I don't remember you having is this smart ass attitude. You knew how to treat your elders with respect. Now I am in charge here and you are nothing but a child. You have one chance to answer my questions, before you pay the consequences." He says.

"I will save you some time then. Any question you ask will go unanswered. You don't deserve answers. With your actions, you have started a war, one that your twelve little thugs will lose. You have now earned the wrath of thirteen clans. Good luck with that. I think it will be the quickest war in history." I tell him.

Good, now he is angry. I feel the first punch, before I withdraw into the flame. I hear him though, after a few hits he stops, and says, "Take her back, she has lost it, practically catatonic. Bring me the savage."

The same two guards come back in and take me as he sits back down. They throw me against the wall and though I don't feel it, I know that more of my wounds have reopened. As they take Lexa out of the room, it is like I can feel both points of view, hers and mine.

I feel them throw them in the same chair that they threw me. Then I hear him, "Commander, how many do you have in your savage army?" He asks.

It is then that I noticed that the guards stayed with her. Lexa doesn't say a word, as Pike gets up and punches her in the stomach. It is then that two newcomers come in the room with me and I recede back out of the flame.

Turning my head, I ask, "Raven, who else is here and what did you bring?"

"Anya and I am here to get you and the commander. O and Lincoln are taking out the others. I brought some smoke grenades. Where is the commander?" She says.

I think for a moment, but not any longer than that, as Pike is already beating Lexa and I no his patience runs thin. "Ok, here is what you will do. Lexa is in the room two doors to the right. You will leave me here, as my strength is gone. There are two guards in the room with Pike. Before you attack though, you will wait for my signal." I tell them.

"What signal? If you are in here, how can you signal anyone?" Anya asks.

"We don't have much time, he has already started interrogating her. Let's just say, I will signal you through the flame. Now go, I will be fine here." I tell them.

Raven's POV

I nod at Clarke and say, "I guess you can now communicate through the flame. We will take care of it, Clarke."

I have so many questions for the two of them, but all that will have to wait. Anya and I walk down the hall and wait just out the door, but it is hard waiting. We hear the sound of flesh meeting flesh, that can only mean one thing.

Gunshots ring outside, I hope Lincoln and O are ok, but I don't have time for that, as I hear the commander's voice, "You have now gone past the point of no return, Pike. The moment you laid your hands on me is the moment that sealed your fate. Your little rebellion ends here."

The next voice that I hear, sends chills down my spine, because it is just not possible. "You aren't going to get away with anything, Pike. Anya, kill the others. Pike, take alive, I have plans for him." Clarke's voice rings out loudly in the next room, coming straight out of the commander.

We burst in the room, smoke from my grenades so thick that you can hardly see anyone. The two guards are already dropping to the floor, each with a knife in their chests. Pike is already backing up from the commander.

Shaking his head, piss running down down down his legs, "It's not possible. What sorcery is this? Clarke is passed out in the other room. How can she talk through this savage. We have to kill them all." He cries out.

He goes to reach the pistol at his side, but Anya is faster, knocking him out with the hilt of her sword. The commander stands up, and leaves the room. Anya grabs a set of chains, tying them around Pike's torso as we drag him out of the room. 

We make it back to the room where Clarke was and find the commander, tearing strips out of her sash to wrap around Clarke's back, as blood slowly seeps from the wounds there. O and Lincoln rushes into the room, followed by Bellamy. 

Bellamy runs out, only to return within seconds with a blanket. The commander gently wraps it around a comatose Clarke. The commander turns to us and says, "Clarke will be fine. She is just exhausted. Let's get back to the mountain."

Bellamy leans down to pick up Clarke, but the commander sends him a glare, as she picks her up herself. We make it outside as the commander hands Clarke to Lincoln and hops on her horse, Lincoln handing Clarke back to her.

We all make it back to the mountain in no time at all. Lincoln and Anya taking Pike to the cages, just outside of medical and the commander taking Clarke to medical. 

Abby rushes to Clarke, just as the commander lays her gently on her stomach, in the only bed available. "What happened to her?" Abby asks.

The commander closes her eyes for a moment and says, "She is mostly exhausted, but a few of her wounds from Nia's lashes have reopened." 

Abby finishes cleaning Clarke's wounds and then turns to the Commander, and says, "Lexa, she will be fine. Why don't you stay with her, there is plenty of room on the bed for you both and she will be wanting you when she wakes up."

"When do you expect her to wake up, Abby?" The commander asks her. 

"Probably in the morning, she will need a few days rest before she travels again, to make sure that her wounds don't reopen again." Abby tells her.

As she lays down next to Clarke, Anya and I step out of the room. As we make it to Anya's tent, I lay down tears flowing from my eyes, emotionally exhausted myself. Anya lays down with me, her arms holding me close, not needing words, as we both drift off to sleep.

Clarke's POV

It's been three days since Pike's attack. Lexa hasn't let me leave the mountain till now. Today is punishment day. One more enemy will be gone forever. I have made my decision on Pike's punishment as well as Bellamy's. 

Lexa comes up behind me, wraps her arms around me, and kisses my shoulder, "Are you ready, my love?" She asks.

I turn around and kiss her quickly, "I am now." I say taking her hand as we leave medical and make our way outside.

A crowd has already formed, Pike tied to a tree. Bellamy walks over to us and kneels, bowing his head. I turn to him and say, "Bellamy Blake, talking about your leader can be called treason. It is no secret of your crime. Normally the sentence is death. However, you also helped save your leader. You spent a week in a cage. We will make that your punishment, this time. Any more crimes you commit, will put you working in the stables, cleaning up after the war horses."

"I understand, it won't happen again." He says. 

"Rise, Bellamy and join the others." I tell him.

Lexa turns to the crowd and says, "There is one more punishment set for today. Wanheda and I discussed this thoroughly. Charles Pike, stands accused of killing eighteen Trikru warriors and two Skaikru warriors. Then he kidnapped and tried to torture your leaders."

She squeezes my hand and continues, "Pike will be stretched between two of our strongest war horses. The two survivors of his initial attack will execute it."

Indra and Hannah step into everyone's view. Ryder and Gustus remove Pike from the tree, a gag in place, so that he can't speak. They place chains on his feet and hands, before attaching the ends to two war horses. 

Gustus helps Hannah one the first one, while Indra needs no help. The two women look at Lexa, who nods her head. Slowly they move the horses a step at a time, until the chains are taut. 

The stretching only takes a few hours, Pike's muffled screams ring out throughout the trees. Slowly his body is torn in half, at the torso, muscles and bone snapping apart. 

Hannah being exhausted, not nearly healed from the blood loss of losing her hand, is taken back inside the mountain, by Indra, to medical. Gustus and Ryder come up to us and Lexa says, "Chop his body up, take him to the sea, to Luna. He will not be burned, even if Praimfaya returns. We will not see him in the next life."

Gustus nods and says, "Sha, Heda. It shall be done."

He turns to walk away, and Raven comes up to us and says, "Ok, that was kind of sick. It reminds me of a movie I watched on the Ark."

"It was a horror film. It was called 'The Hitcher'. Basically an evil man chains a girl to a pole, with the other end to his big truck. Then he accelerates, tearing the girl in half. This was different though, Pike was never an innocent." Raven says.

Shaking my head, I ask her, "Why would you watch that crap?"

She looks down sadly, "I watched with Finn, as a kid. I was maybe ten. It wasn't long before we started watching action movies. I didn't really like the horror ones, much."

I close my eyes a moment, Lexa squeezing my hand, and I know I have to tell her. "Raven, I learned something from Pike. It's about Finn." I say.

"Tell me, cause really, nothing about him surprises me anymore." She says.

"He was working for Pike, for almost two years. He always planned on starting a war. Hannah told us though that all of his spies are now dead. Everyone that followed him is gone." I tell her.

"Like I said, nothing surprises me about him anymore. Everything about him was a lie anyways. I can't believe that I wasted my time on that asshole." Raven says.

I frown, Raven told me he saved her life, many times. Taking her hand, I ask, "What's going on, Raven. What do you know?"

A single tear falls down her cheek, and I wipe it away. "Everything was a lie. My whole life is a lie." She says.

I let go of Lexa's hand and take Raven's, leading her into our tent, Lexa and Anya following. "What do you mean, your whole life is a lie?" I ask her.

Shaking her head, she says, "I mean just what I said. Finn never helped me growing up. It was someone else. He lied. I don't know why, but he did." 

"How did you find out? Who helped you?" I ask her.

"I found out by a file I found on the Ark, right before we found out. There were three people that helped me growing up and Finn wasn't one of them. He was just a messenger, paid by the promise of a job in medicine, when he finished school." She says.

"Raven, stop beating around the bush. Who helped you?" I ask again.

"Your mom and dad and Sinclair. Sinclair wanted to do more, but his wife was fighting cancer. For many years, he fought with her. He wanted to take me in, but the council wouldn't let him, first Diana and then Jaha." She says.

"And my parents? How did they help you?" I ask her.

"They made sure that I had food and tried for many years to adopt me, but again, the council stopped it. They never said anything, just kept trying, not wanting to get my hopes up." She says.

I lean in to hug her, as the tears keep falling. After a few moments, I pull back and say, "It seems like there is much more to this story. You don't have to tell me now, but I would like to know someday." 

She closes her eyes for a moment, shakes her head and says, "I need to tell you, but not here. There are ears everywhere, and this is a story that I don't want others to know. Besides, it involves someone else as well. She deserves to know as well." 

"I won't ask but one more question for now. Who else does it involve?" I ask.

"Octavia. I almost don't want to tell her, but it's been eating me alive. It will be so hard for her to hear, it nearly shattered me." She says so quietly, that I can barely hear her.

I hug her one more time and say, "Octavia is strong, as are you. We will help her get through whatever it is."

Lexa speaks at this time, "Find Octavia and Lincoln. We will go to the falls for a few days. There we can talk, without ears or interruptions. We will leave two hours before dinner."

Raven and Anya don't say a word, as they both nod and leave the tent. I turn to Lexa and ask, "Are you sure? You said that the falls are never seen by anyone but the commander."

"I am sure, the three of you share a bond of sisterhood, without blood, but still sisterhood. It is the same with Anya and Lincoln, for me. I eventually want to open the falls to our families. This is the first step towards that. It will also be a safe place for Raven to talk about the things that are tearing her apart." She says. 

I kiss slowly, trying to put all of my love into the kiss. When I pull away, we both start packing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really had fun with this one, even if I was a bit late with it. I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Next chapter will be a roller coaster of emotions. As always thanks to ai lukot, Lockie. I couldn't do it without you.
> 
> Thanks for reading, see you next chapter.
> 
> Kacie


	14. Chapter 14 "Secrets shared, forging new bonds"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven shares the secrets of her life. Lexa talks to those closest to her.   
> Bellamy overhears a few things.   
> Another obstacle towards peace comes into play.

Chapter 14 "Secrets shared, forging new bonds"

Lexa's POV

We are almost to the falls, riding slowly with Clarke in front of me, my arms gently wrapped around her. I know what she is thinking, and I wish I could get her out of her head. Unfortunately, she has found a way to block me from speaking to her through the flame.

She is upset with her wounds, like any of that would ever bother me. I wish it didn't happen. Seeing her in pain hurts, whether it be emotional or physical. The eventual scars hurt her. She will always be the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen.

I wish I could talk to her about it, but I can't, not yet. Raven seems like whatever she has to say is bothering and has been for a while now. I've made a decision though. We aren't going back to Polis, not yet. Clarke needs time to heal and truthfully so do I. 

We have experienced years worth of trials in less than a month. We have taken care of the mountain as well as Pike, killed the Pauna, and got rid of several people that would cause trouble in the future. I don't think that I am ready to face Titus just yet. 

He changed so many of our beliefs, he conspired with the enemy to kill Costia. What hurts the most though, is that he tried to kill Clarke, all because I love her. In doing so, he killed me, which caused so much chaos amongst our people, that they never fully recovered. We have to fix that.

Even if he doesn't do anything else in this timeline, he has the potential to and I will not have that. We should meet with Gaia before going to Polis. Then there is Echo, she hasn't reported in yet. So many things to do. One thing at a time. 

I lean over and kiss the top of Clarke's head, as we reach the cave, she has fallen asleep. She wakes up slowly and I help her down. As we are coming to the end of the cave, I turn to Raven and Octavia and say, "This place is sacred to the commanders, only a handful of guards have actually been in the cave and no one but a commander has actually stood in what is beyond the cave. Now that you have seen this place, you have to promise to never show others the way."

"We promise, commander." They both say in unison.

"Now that is out of the way, I welcome you to Commander Falls." I say while stepping out of the cave.

I see the wonderment on their faces as they look around. Clarke takes my hand and squeezes. "It is more beautiful at night." She says.

"I don't think that is possible." Raven says as Lincoln spreads furs around for everyone to sit.

After Indra starts a fire, she sends the other guards to go hunt. We all sit down for a bit, just taking in the view. "Clarke is right. You will see later. This place is the most breathtaking at night. More than any other place that I have ever visited." I tell them.

"I almost don't want to break the mood up and what I say, will definitely have that effect." Raven says.

"Raven, we might not like what you have to say, but we will all face it together. In fact, you never have to tell us anything you don't want to." Clarke tells her.

"While I don't want to talk about this, it is something that needs to be said. I just hope you don't look at me differently after this." Raven says.

"Raven, we are your friends. That is never going to change." Octavia says.

"That's just it. We are not just friends." Raven says.

"What do you mean?" I ask her.

"I guess I have to start at the beginning. Twenty years, five months and three days ago, to be exact, something bad happened on the Ark. The council, and Chancellor Sydney, chose to keep it all a secret. Clarke's parents and Jaha, were new to the council at the time." She says.

"Wait, how bad was it, if it happened over twenty years ago? How did you find out, Raven, if they kept it a secret?" Clarke asks.

"Have you met me? I can find out anything, if it deals with a computer. I am awesome." Raven says.

"Okay, Raven, so tell us what happened?" Octavia says.

"So twenty years ago, the Ark had a serial rapist and murderer. It took them about three and a half years to find out who was responsible. Twelve women in total died, yet the thirteenth survived." Raven tells us.

"Tell me that this butcher isn't still alive?" Indra growls.

I notice Raven flinch from her words, Anya squeezing her hand, and I know that the worst is yet to come. "He was floated, the moment that they found out that it was him. That man was my father, Fernando Reyes. The story doesn't end there though." She says.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Clarke says.

"I have to, you are both part of the story." Raven says.

"How so, Raven?" Octavia says as she leans back into Lincoln.

"I will start with Clarke's part. I was five when I met your parents. I remember because that was when my mom broke my arm. Finding out that my dad did what he did and was floated, she blamed me. I had someone on my side though. They shared rations with me and gave me birthday presents." Raven says.

Clarke squeezes Raven's hand and asks, "Finn, right? He did all that."

"No, it wasn't Finn. It was your parents, Clarke. For years they petitioned the council to adopt me, but they were blocked at every turn. Mainly by 'follow the laws' Jaha. Sinclair was going to try, but Mary, his wife, got cancer. She was sick for years before she died. Basically, I am saying that, if not for Jaha, I would have been a Griffin." Raven says.

Clarke shakes her head and says, "Jaha doesn't matter. Just because there isn't any paperwork saying it, doesn't make it not true. If you want to be a Griffin, then you are one."

"I feel like I am in my heart." Raven says.

"What does all this have to do with me? All this happened twenty years ago." Octavia says.

Raven closes her eyes a moment and continues, "This is actually the hardest part, so I am just going to come out and say it. My dad's last victim was Aurora Blake. This happened seventeen years and six months ago."

Octavia holds up her hand and says, "Wait, just wait a moment. Are you saying that your father raped and killed many women? Then he raped my mother and is also my father? I am a child of Rape?"

Anya kisses the top of Raven's head, "This isn't exactly easy for me O. Truthfully I didn't think that I would ever be able to tell either of you. However, I am not lying. We both share the same father. We are sisters." Raven says.

Octavia stands up and starts walking away, but then she stops, "Why didn't my mom ever tell me." She asks with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know, O. Maybe she wanted to protect you." Raven says.

"Well I am tired of people thinking that I need to be protected from the truth. She should have told me." Octavia says running to the cave, Lincoln following her.

Clarke gets up and gives Raven a hug, "She will be back. You know this is how she processes things." Clarke says.

"I know and I didn't want to upset anyone, but it had to be said." Raven says.

"At least now I understand why you were so protective towards Charlotte and Madi. Through, hearing about this, changes nothing, at least for me. You two were always my family. You always will be. And just so you know, you are not anything like your parents. Never forget that." Clarke says.

The hunters come to the edge of the cave with lunch and Indra grabs it for us.

Octavia's POV

I get to the horses before Lincoln is there, pulling me into his arms. "Take a moment and breathe. Now let's go talk to your mom. No anger, just talk. She deserves a chance to talk about what happened to her and why she didn't tell you." He says.

We had been talking a lot lately and my anger issues and how to deal with them better. "You're right, Linc. I just want to know why she never told me. I have a sister. Raven is my sister, which means that so are Clarke and Charlotte." I say against his shoulder.

We both get on our horses and head towards Arcadia. We aren't quite at the gates when they open, Jake standing there waiting. "Is everything ok, Octavia. Is Clarke ok?" He asks, as soon as we enter.

"Clarke is fine. I know about my father. I need to speak to my mom." I tell him.

Jake sadly nods and turns to the guards and says, "Take their horses to the stable, make sure they have plenty of oats and water."

"Thank you, Jake." I tell him, as we hop off of our horses.

Jake takes my hand, squeezes it and says, "Go easy on her, kiddo. It wasn't easy for her."

"I will, I just need to talk to her." I tell him.

He nods and Lincoln and I head inside. We walk in and mom stands up, rushing towards me, hugging me tightly. "I missed you, baby. I am glad that you are safe." She says.

I pull back and tell her, "I know. I know about my dad."

Mom gasps and sits down on the chair. "How?" She asks.

I shake my head, "Raven, but how doesn't matter. What matters is why you kept it from me. Why did I never know that my father was a rapist and a murderer? Why didn't you ever tell me that I had a sister?" I say, not bothering to keep the anger out of my voice.

The tears flowed down both our faces at this time. "Oh, sweetie. It was the hardest thing that I ever had to do. I had to keep you and your brother safe. If the council ever found out, I wouldn't be there for either of you. You and your brother were so young. How do you tell your kids something like that? Bellamy was only seven when you were born, his father had only been gone a little over a year." She tells me.

"I get that mom, I really do. Why didn't you tell us later?" I ask her.

"Your life was so hard, living under the floor. Then I wanted to tell you, when we found out about the Ark, but there were other issues. There were others that would be affected. So many, and in truth, I wanted to forget that dark time. It's just not something that you want to tell your kids." She tells me.

"I get it mom, I really do. Now the question is, what do we tell Bellamy? What do we tell Charlotte and Madi?" I ask.

"Maybe you can ask Clarke and Raven what they want to tell Charlotte. Madi, I would definitely wait to tell. She is so young, but that is for Clarke to decide." Mom tells me.

I give mom a big hug and say, "I am not mad. Like I said, I understand. I am a little hurt, because I didn't know, but that will go away. I love you, mom."

"Do you want to stay for lunch? You probably haven't eaten yet." She asks.

"Maybe next time. I should probably get back. My leaving to come here would have hurt Raven. There is still so much that the three of us have to talk about." I tell her.

"Go, talk to your sisters. You will all need each other. Maybe don't tell Bellamy, at least not yet." She says.

We gather our horses and head back to the falls. Just outside of the cave, Lincoln pulls me into his embrace, kissing me softly, before saying, "It will be ok, ai hod yu en, feva."

I nod as we walk over to the others. Giving them each a hug, we sit back down to eat dinner, silently. When we are finished I look at them and ask, "How are we going to explain all this to Charlotte?"

Bellamy's POV

I am about to head into my mom's quarters, when I hear Octavia, "I know about my dad."

I feel this is a conversation that Octavia doesn't want me to hear, but I can't help myself from listening in. I was supposed to be telling Jake that Echo hadn't called in. She was four days late, but wanted to see my mom first.

Each word they say pisses me off even more. The Ark just keeps getting away with anything that they want. Clarke is even part of that problem. They still keep so much from the people. A murder and rapist should have been public knowledge, not swept under the rug and Clarke knows about this.

Punching the wall, I made up my mind. I will find King Roan and have him help me find Echo. I don't need the others for that. I will check the trading post first.

Taking the rover, I head that way. Once there, I talked to Nylah. "Hey Nylah. I need a favor." I say.

"What is it, Bellamy?" She asks.

"I need to talk to Roan. Echo hasn't called in and she is late." I tell her.

I know I am not her favourite person. She still remembers last time. I am not stupid enough to start a war the same way again, but I am working on a way. The Ark has to be taken out. First I have to save my family, Octavia and mom, the rest can all die along with the corruption.

"I will call him on the radio. He isn't far from here. He might know where she was headed. I am sure that Echo is fine." Nylah says.

It's morning before Roan shows up. "Seems like you are worried about Echo." He says.

"She should have contacted us days ago. Do you have any idea where she might be?" I ask him.

"She was trying to find out where the missing farm people are, that my mom took. There is only one place left in all of Azgeda that is still loyal to the way my mom did things." Roan says.

"Where is that? We have to find Echo." I tell him.

"I already sent a few spies that way. If that is where she is and the other Skaikru are there, then we will need more than just a few people to save them. We will need an army and we will have to let Heda know." He says.

"How long will that take?" I ask him.

"Two, maybe three more days, no longer." He says.

"I just hope that she is ok." I tell him.

"If there is any news, we will hear it. Wanheda gave me a few radios. They have one. Now we wait." He says.

I know he is right, but I don't have to like it. I have a feeling I know where she is and Roan is right. It will take an army to get her back from them. If they have her, she is now a slave. I have to get her back, which means I will need Clarke's help, one more time. 

Lexa's POV

"I know that there is much more that we need to talk about, but it can wait till morning. Tonight, we all just need rest and there is something you should all see. Something that only the commanders have ever seen. It only happens here, at night." I say.

"How much time do we have before the sunsets." Clarke asks me, probably already knowing what she wants to show them.

I look up at the sky and say, "We should have time to set up the tents before it's time."

I kiss her cheek and we all start setting up the tents. When we finish, we wait to put the furs in them and we all lay down. I can tell that Indra, Anya and Lincoln already know what is coming, even if they have never witnessed it before.

I smile, as I hear two gasps of surprise, one from Raven and the other from Octavia. "It's beautiful, Clarke." Raven says.

"I can see why this place is sacred to the commanders." Octavia says.

"It is sacred, but I think that the previous commanders, that spent time here, had it all wrong." I tell them.

"What do you mean, ai hodnes?" Clarke asks.

"I have been thinking. This place should be shared. It should be shared with those that the commander sees as their family." I tell them.

"Won't the people be upset?" Octavia asks.

"There is so much that is changing in our world and so much that will change in the future. I'm thinking of building a house here." I tell them.

"You want to live here, Heda?" Indra asks.

I am not sure I am ready to tell just how many houses I want here. I will have to tell them at some time. I just hope that they can keep it a secret from Clarke. It is something that I would like to surprise her with.

"I think that I do, one day. I love Polis, but in truth, this is where I feel most at home. Another thing, unless we are with the people, I don't want my family to call me Heda. You are all family and I want you to call me by name. It just feels right." I tell them.

Clarke leans over and kisses me. When she pulls back a bit, I chase her lips for a moment. We talk for a bit longer, before I notice that Clarke has fallen asleep. Soon as I stand up, pulling Clarke in my arms, Lincoln stands up and grabs our furs.

After Lincoln leaves, I help Clarke get undressed, before I do the same. Laying down, I pull her close to me, kissing the top of her head. She snuggles even closer, without waking up. It isn't long before sleep finds me.

When morning comes, I am the first to wake, knowing that Clarke needs more rest, to finish healing, I kiss her cheek and I step out of the tent. It seems like Raven is the only one still sleeping. Lincoln already has the fire going, with several rabbits roasting. 

It isn't long before the smell of breakfast wakes them both up. Raven sits down next to Anya, half leaning on her, as Anya kisses the top of her head. I never thought I would see Anya so taken with someone. Maybe Indra is right, because I also see it with Lincoln and Octavia. 

It brings the thought of why so many people couldn't find love, till now. Were our soulmates all up on the Ark, just waiting to come down, or is it just us. I guess it doesn't really matter. All I know is that I have found mine and I will do everything that I can to keep her.

I really need to talk to Indra and Anya at some point. I know that they could give me some advice on how the people would feel about a ceremony. I already know that it can't happen yet, but I don't want to wait much longer, this I know.

Clarke comes over and sits down next to me, kissing my cheek. As we all finish eating, it is Clarke that says something first. "I guess we have to figure out who else needs to know. This isn't something that I can decide for all of us."

"I think that Charlotte needs to know. She is old enough to understand what happened. It can also be a learning thing for her. She is smart though, it wouldn't surprise me if she didn't find out part of it herself. She has access to everyone's medical files, from the Ark." Octavia says.

"You're right, she will find out eventually and then be upset that no one told her. It will have to wait though. Both my parents should be there and right now they are seperated. One is at the mountain and the other is in Arcadia." Clarke says.

"What about Bellamy?" Raven asks.

"Bellamy has been acting strange lately. I am not sure that we should tell him. In fact, I am not sure he should be privy to a lot of things." Octavia says.

"What do you mean, by strange?" I ask her.

"I was about to visit him, when he was in the cages, but then I could hear him talking to himself." She says.

"What was he saying, O?" Raven asks.

"Most of it I couldn't understand, it was more like mumbling, but there were some that were very disconcerting. He was talking about corruption in Arcadia and there were some things about Clarke that I couldn't hear, but it didn't sound too good." Octavia says.

"This is something that I normally wouldn't ask of you Octavia, but I have to and you can say no. I need someone to keep an eye on him, place a tracker and a bug on him. We can't have him betraying us again. So many times he has betrayed us. The last time we almost lost Diyosa, only to later lose Hope." Clarke says.

"If he is going to betray us again, what is it you want me to do about it?" Octavia asks.

Shaking her head, Clarke says, "I want you to gather intel, and report back to us. If he is really out of hand, restrain him and report to us. That is a decision that I don't want you to have to make. You are also the only one that can really get close to him, but be safe. Keep Lincoln close at the same time."

"I can do that, Clarke. He hasn't been the same since he shot Jaha, in the first timeline. I didn't see it though, not really, until he betrayed us in Bardo. I will do anything I can to make sure that he doesn't screw us over again." Octavia says.

"I want to tell Madi." I tell them.

"You want to tell her about what happened?" Clarke asks.

"I think she deserves to know. We don't have to tell her everything, just that she has aunts and who they are. She's a bit young to know how it all happened. Also, she needs to know that she can't trust Bellamy and right now, she does." I tell them.

"I will talk to her about Bellamy, when I go back, tomorrow. I will let Clarke tell her about the past." Octavia says.

"I should tell you all about Madi. Raven and Anya already know. Madi is closer to me than anyone knows. We can't let anyone else know, for now though. Madi is my sister." I tell them.

"I will die to keep that secret, Lexa." Lincoln says.

"We all will." Octavia says.

"I know, I trust you all and I can't say that about many other people. I think it's time to stop all this serious talk. There is a beautiful lake and waterfall here and we haven't made use of it yet this trip. Most of you are going back to the mountain and Arcadia tomorrow. Let's enjoy the rest of the day." I tell them.

About lunch time, Ryder and Gustus join us and I decide that now is the time. I call Ryder and say, "I am going hunting with the others, we also have something I need to discuss with them. When we get back, Gustus can fill you in. Keep them safe, and keep the fire going."

"Sha, Heda. It will be done." Ryder says.

I nod, walk over to Clarke, lean down and kiss the top of her head. She is taking a nap in the warmth of the sun and I don't want to disturb her. I walk over to the edge of the lake, calling Raven and Octavia over. "I am taking Lincoln and Anya with me hunting for a few hours. Ryder will stay with you. Can you let Clarke know, when she wakes up?" I tell them.

"We got her, Lexa. I don't think I have ever seen her relax this much. She needs it. We all do, but she is the only one that keeps going." Raven says.

"Hopefully, things will stay calm for a bit and we can rest here for a few more days, before the next big disaster." I tell them.

"Go hunt, Lexa. We will take care of Clarke. Clarke won't lift a finger. I will get her to swim some more, when she wakes up. It will help her back some. It's mostly healed but the water will definitely help." Octavia says.

I swallow the lump in my throat and say, "Thank you, for always being there for her." 

"We haven't always been. We haven't always been in her corner, but things are different this time. Even without learning what we have, we had already promised to always be there for her. She is special and we didn't always see that." Raven says.

"All that matters now, is that you are now. The reasons don't matter. I know that she feels the same. I better go, or we won't have dinner." I tell them.

I walk to the cave to meet the others, taking one last look at Clarke, before following behind Anya. After walking a good distance from the cave, I sit down on a log, my hand running through my braids, as the others join me. "What is on your mind, Lexa?" Anya asks.

"Ever since the mountain, I have been thinking." I tell them.

"Thinking about what, Heda?" Gustus asks.

"Clarke and how the people see her. How do the people see us together?" I tell them.

Anya smiles and asks, "You want to know how the people would feel about a bonding ceremony?"

"I am. I know it is too soon, but am wondering how the people would react to one." I say.

"I think that the people would be behind it, especially if it is Clarke. I am only worried about a couple of people." Indra says.

"We have to watch out for Titus. He only wants for the Heda to be at war. He will not want peace. It's his way of trying to control Heda. Ever wonder how commanders die when they start questioning him. We can't let that happen to you." Gustus says.

"I agree, Titus will be dealt with before I move forward. Who else do you think would stand in the way?" I ask.

"I don't trust Bellamy, I never have and something is definitely going on in that head of his. He is even more withdrawn this time. I would kill him, but so far he hasn't stepped too far out of line. I just remember his last betrayal." Indra says.

"I don't know much about his last betrayal, but I remember some of his others. The only reason he is alive is because he is family, but that could change. Tell me what happened the last time?" I ask.

"He doesn't remember, he was killed and we didn't want him to have that experience, but I fear in the end, that he will betray us again." Indra says.

"You are trying to not fully answer the question, Indra." I say.

"I think that the reason you don't know right now, is that Clarke doesn't really remember all of it. Bellamy, whether brainwashed or not, turned in Clarke and the others to the enemy. They had a way to get into one's mind. If someone fought it, it was the most painful torture that I have ever heard of." Indra says.

"Who all received this form of torture? What exactly did they want to learn from it?" I ask.

"Echo, Diyosa, Hope, Octavia, Raven, Miller, and Clarke were all tortured, but Clarke the most. It was also hardest on her, as she fought the most." Indra says.

"What did they want?" I ask her.

"They thought that Clarke was the key to winning the last war that mankind will ever fight. They thought that she held the secrets of the flame." Indra says.

"Do we have to worry about them at some point? Do they have a way to return to earth." I ask.

"The only way they could find a way to earth is by capturing Gabriel, an ally, who lives on Sanctum. It's called an anomaly stone. You can travel to different planets and moons by using it. Earth has one, but we don't know where it is. The answer might be in the flame. It has to be within walking distance to the bunker in Polis, though." Indra says.

"We will deal with that after we deal with the power plants." I tell them.

"If they were to become an issue, it wouldn't be until after Diyosa comes." Indra says.

"Then we have plenty of time. She won't be here for at least another six years." I say.

"So that brings us back to Bellamy and Bonding." Lincoln says, with a smile.

"I am not worried so much about Bellamy. We will keep an eye on him and let people know that he is not to be trusted." I say.

"What about the bonding ceremony? What other questions do you have about it?" Anya asks.

"I have to talk to Gaia about how a commander would go about it, but that isn't what worries me. I want to go about it the right way. I want to honour not only the way the clans do it, but also the way Skaikru does. Clarke deserves that and I just don't know enough about Skaikru." I tell them.

Lincoln's smile grows bigger, "It's a good thing that we have Octavia and Raven to talk to about it. If anyone would know, and keep it a secret, it would be them." He says.

"You are right, Lincoln. Though I have faith in Raven, about the power plants, I would like to have the ceremony before that happens." I tell them.

"Then the next thing we have to do is deal with Titus and maybe Bellamy." Indra says.

"We have time then. Let's hunt now." I tell them.

It doesn't take us long to stumble on the tracks of a beast of a wolf, almost the size of a Pauna. Setting up a rabbit as bait, we take to the trees and wait. It takes about twenty minutes before the wolf smells the rabbit. As one we jump down knives flying, taking it down fast.

The skin on the wolf isn't near as thick as the Pauna, but it stands taller than Gustus. We make five litters and split up the meat, to take to the camp outside of the caves. As soon as we get there, turn to the four guards standing there, "Process the meat and get it ready for transport to the mountain and Arcadia. It should feed everyone for a few days." I tell them.

"Sha, Heda." They say in unison.

I nod at them and head inside the caves, everyone follows, Gustus dragging the smallest litter with him. It should be enough food for at least three days, after the others leave in the morning. As we exit the cave, I hear a sound that I could never get enough of.

Clarke's laughter rings out, as the three sisters splash and frolic in the water. They all need this time and I am so happy that I could provide this for them. I have a feeling that it will get worse before it gets better. After watching for a moment, we head over to the fire, Gustus laying the litter down for Ryder.

Eventually, I shed my clothes, joining them in the water, with one thought on my mind. This woman will be my humoun one day soon. The night continues like the previous one. There is much talking and we all go to bed by long after we see the sunset.

The next morning there are lots of hugs as most of our group leaves. Gustus and Ryder are the only ones that will stay, though just outside of the caves. Clarke and I need time for just the two of us. 

It is two days later that I wake up alone, the furs next to me already cold. I walk outside of the tent and my heart breaks from the sight in front of me. Clarke is sitting just at the water's edge, tears flowing down her face.

I sit down next to her, wrapping my arms around her waist, and as she leans into me, I kiss the top of her head. We just sit there in silence as the sun rises. I am not worried about her talking to me about what is bothering her, I know that she will, when she is ready.

After a few hours, I coax her to the campfire, to eat some breakfast. Before I know it, the sun is high in the sky. I pull away from her, just long enough to take my clothes off. "Join me in the water, my love?" I ask her. 

She nods her head and I help her undress. We swim over to the waterfall, where some natural seats are carved into the rock. She leans back into my arms as we sit there, skin on skin, water falling around is. I hear the intake of her breaths, and I know she is crying again. "Talk to me, ai hodnes. What is wrong?" I ask her.

"It is nothing, Lexa. It will pass." She says.

"Even if it passes, I would still want to know what has made you so sad today. I can feel your pain and it hurts me as well." I tell her.

She turns in my arms, looking into my eyes, before responding, "I woke up this morning and while getting dressed, I saw my back in the mirror." 

I shake my head, "Tell me what bothers you so much about it? Are you still in pain?" I ask her.

"They are so hard to look at. They are repulsive. How can you love someone who looks like this?" She asks me.

I am stunned for a moment. How could she ever think that any scar matters to me? I gently caress her cheeks, taking care to wipe each year with a kiss, before placing my head against hers and replying, "I was there when you received each lash. It took everything in me not to rush in and stop it. I have seen your strength before, but never like that."

I take a deep breath before continuing, "Each lash that you received, never once crying out, is being talked about in every clan. It killed me watching it, I felt every single one as if it were myself taking it. Your strength can not be denied. As for each single scar that was left, they tell a story. A story of strength, sacrifice, bravery and each one is a part of a beautiful tapestry. It tells about a part of your story. In clan culture, it is a badge of honor, just as much as the people you killed in order to save Lincoln and Madi. None of your scars are repulsive. I love every single one of them."

Pulling back a few inches I lean down, starting at the scars on her breasts, gently kissing each one, before turning her around and working down from her shoulders all the way down to her waist. Not missing a single scar, sometimes paying special attention to the ones that were slightly deeper, I finish before turning her back around.

I kiss her gently on the lips, before saying, "You are the most beautiful person that I have ever met, inside and out. Nothing will ever change that for me. If I have to remind you of this fact everyday for the rest of our long lives, I will gladly do it. You, Clarke Griffin, are everything to me."

"I love you so much. I can't lose you this time, it would kill me." She says.

"I feel the same. We will just have to keep each other safe. It's a good thing we also have family to help with that as well." I tell her.

We stay in the water for a few more hours, only leaving as the sun sets. We eat in comfortable silence, never redressing. I feel there is still a lot left in her mind, but she seems to be in a much more peaceful mood and that I will take. 

It isn't long before I feel the air get a bit chilly.. I kiss the top of her head, and head into the tent, bringing out our furs. Laying down next to her, I pull her into my arms, leaving light kisses on her shoulders and neck, as we lay there taking in the sound of the waterfall and the lake hitting the shore. 

It doesn't take long before we both drift off to sleep. It is about an hour before sunrise, before I notice a presence close by. I open my eyes and see Ryder standing there, "Heda, I am sorry to disturb your sleep, but there is news from the mountain."

"What news comes from the mountain?" I ask him.

"Roan is there, with the man you call Bellamy. They have found the rest of Skaikru's farm people, as well as Echo. They are held captive in what is left of that part of the Ark, by the last of Nia's loyalists. They have made them all slaves." Ryder says.

"Why haven't they attacked?" I ask him.

"Roan says that if they attack now, without a bigger army, that all or most of them will die. Many are children." Ryder tells me.

"We will get dressed, leave the tent. We will be using it more often." I tell him. 

I wake up Clarke, "I am sorry, my love. It is early, but we are needed at the mountain. I will explain on the way." 

We dress quickly, throwing what we need in our bags, heading towards the horses. Gustus already has them ready to go and we are on our way.

Anya's POV

Raven and I are both almost asleep when we hear a commotion outside of our tent. We quickly get dressed and head outside. Roan and Bellamy are both there. "We need to speak to the commander and Clarke, now." Bellamy says.

I hiss at him, "What makes you think that you can have an audience with the commander or Wanheda, boy."

"I am sorry, Anya. The boy, though he doesn't know how to speak with respect, is right. We have news that Heda needs to hear." Roan says while bowing.

"The commander and Wanheda are not here right now. Tell me what news you bring and I will send a messenger to them." I tell him.

"They have Echo and Farm crew. We don't have time for this shit." Bellamy says.

"Watch your tongue boy, before I cut it out." I say.

I turn back to Roan and ask, "Tell me what is going on?"

"The last of the warriors that are loyal to my mother's reign, have the rest of the Skaikru, that crashed in Azgedian lands. They have been made into slaves. Echo tried to save them, only she went in alone and was captured." Roan says.

"Why haven't you used your army to take them out?" I ask him.

Roan shakes his head and says, "They outnumber us three to one. Most of those held captive are children. Which is why Echo went in like she did. We could probably take them, but the loss of innocent life would be great, without help, that is." 

"Jok ai." I say.

Shaking my head, thinking for a moment, before saying, "I will send a messenger to the commander. While waiting for them to get here we will come up with a plan. Most of the army is still here, certainly enough to make it five to one. They should be here by mid-day." 

I quickly start issuing orders and we head into the command tent to try and form a plan, before Lexa and Clarke get here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a bit late with the chapter. First part of the week I was sick, and the second part I had to play catch up with work. 
> 
> I still enjoyed writing this chapter. It is an emotional one, but is definately a nice break from the action, which as you can guess will continue in the next chapter.
> 
> I hope you enjoy. If you get a chance, check out my friend hedalok's stories. You definatley won't be disapointed.


	15. Chapter 15 "Echoes of the past"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans to rescue Echo. Bellamy is a dick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ******trigger warning******
> 
> Torture and rape warning. I don't go into much detail, but it is still there and I would prefer to warn you. 
> 
> If you want to skip that part, you can skip Octavia's and Echo's POV's and I can give you the cliff notes.
> 
> As always, I hope that you enjoy and a major shout out to Lockie, again your help has been greatly appreciated.

Chapter 15 "Echoes of the past"

Clarke's POV

I never imagined Echo being captured. I feel bad, because I sent her on that mission. I knew it was dangerous, we all did. She was still the best for the mission. We are almost at the mountain and Lexa has told me all that we know, but we still don't know nearly enough.

Lexa squeezes my hand and says, "This is not your fault. We will find out more in a bit and we will get her back, as well as saving the others."

I nod, I know that this isn't my fault, but I still feel guilty. We hop off of our horses as the command tent is still set up, a warrior taking the reins. Mom rushes over to the tent, before we can head in. She gives me a quick hug, hands me a bag and says, "I know you will be leaving again soon and I wanted to see you for half a moment first. In the bag is more medical supplies, I know you will be needing it."

"Thank you, mom. Things here should be wrapping up, you should put Jackson in charge and head back to Arcadia with Charlotte. Both of you need some rest. I will radio you about anything. We will head to Arcadia just as soon as we get Echo back, as well as anyone else that they have."

She nods, we hug one more time, before she turns to Lexa, "Take care of each other." She says.

"We will." Lexa says and we head inside.

As soon as we walk in I take notice of a change in the tent. Next to Lexa's throne is another one, similar to hers, but just a bit smaller. I glance at her and she nods as we both sit down. This is something that we will talk about, but now is not the time. This makes a bold statement, one that I am not sure the clans will take so well.

The tent is full, Indra, Lincoln, Octavia, Raven, and Anya standing against one side, while on the other stands Ryder, Gustus, Tristan, and another warrior that I don't know. Standing in the middle is Roan and Bellamy. Roan bows to both of us while Bellamy just stands there, head held high, with a look of contempt in his eyes.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, headache already forming, I choose to ignore Bellamy, for the moment. I look at Roan, it's no secret that I found a friendship with him in the previous life. If there is one thing I know about him, is that he is loyal to his people and the commander. 

"Prince Roan, tell us more about this situation." I tell him.

"Echo and Sealie were both looking for the missing Skaikru, as well as trying to find out where the rest of my mother's army went, the ones only loyal to her. They found them and the army has taken refuge in the remains of the farm station." He says.

"What are their numbers?" Indra asks.

"I should state that the numbers that follow me are around eight hundred. Unfortunately, General Berg has three times that amount. I can safely say that over half of them only follow out of fear, mainly for their families that he holds as slaves. A good many of them are children." Roan says.

"Tell me more about this general and why he would want that many children. How was Echo captured?" Lexa asks him.

"My mother sent them to him. Many are Azgedian, their parents being vocal about not liking my mother's rule. Some are from Arcadia's farm station, while others are from different clans. One of the kids is Caris and Brell's youngest daughter, Larken. They wanted to take all of their kids, to have leverage over the desert clan. I know we thought that the mountain had her, but it was Berg." Roan says.

"So how was Echo captured?" I ask him.

"First I should tell you about two friends from Trikru. Echo and Ash, my mother destroyed their village and took the girls to Berg, so that he could break them. They were nine at the time. Berg has many ways to break someone. Torture, torture of people they care about, even rape. When that final method didn't work, my mother stepped in. She made the two fight each other. They both refused, both of them holding a knife. Echo jumped in front of the knife, dying within moments. My mother needed a spy and made Ash take over Echo's spot." He says.

"So what you're saying, is that Echo is actually Ash." I say.

"Yes, I was there when this all happened. My mother wanted to learn how to lead like her. It didn't exactly work how she wanted it to. I offered to have Echo go being Ash. She said it helps her honor her friend. So, Berg has always had a thing for Echo. She is the one kid that he was never able to break. Sealie found out that it was time to fully break Larken. Echo really didn't want that to happen, so she turned herself in, knowing that Sealie would bring help. It was basically a stalling method. Berg will be spending all his time trying to break Echo in any and every way that he can." He says.

"So that is why she was always loyal to you?" I ask him.

"When my mother wasn't around, I tried to look out for her, like an older brother. My mother found out, which is how Echo ended up in the mountain." He says.

"So that tells us plenty on how Berg operates, but it doesn't give us a plan on how to extract everyone that we need to and how to take out the rest." Tristan says.

"I think I can handle that, but first I would need Raven to pull up the plans for the farm station." Octavia says.

"What are you thinking?" Raven asks. 

"I grew up under the floors of the Ark. When mom or Bellamy weren't home, I explored some. Sat in on some classes, watched many people. I had to travel through the vents silently. I can do the same in the farm station. I can find out exactly where the prisoners are located, where the guards sleep. We need more intel before we just barge in." Octavia says.

"You are not putting yourself in danger like that, Octavia. I won't allow it." Bellamy says.

"I don't think you have anything to do with making decisions, big brother." Octavia says.

"Octavia is right. Bellamy has no say in things here. He can join us but he will follow orders, just like anyone else. The decision should be made by Octavia. She will be the one in the most danger. I will not order her, this is her choice." Lexa says.

"I can do this, Heda. I will have to do this part alone though. It might take a day or two, but we will need plans and guard schedules. It might make a huge difference in how we attack." Octavia says.

"I don't like this, but we need that intel and you are the best at things like this. It will take us a full day to get there. You have two days to get what we need and get out. You are only there to observe, and not be seen. We will make a plan when you report in, in person, radio silence. It's very likely that they have someone watching the radios." I say.

"You can't be serious, Clarke. It is too dangerous. You can't send Octavia on a suicide mission." Bellamy yells at me.

Before I know it, Bellamy has six swords at his neck. "Hod op. Breik em au!" I tell them.

Slowly they remove their swords from his neck. "Leave us. Pack what you need, we leave in fifteen minutes." I tell them.

Everyone but Lexa and Bellamy leave the tent, though I can tell it is the last thing that they want to do. I step right up to Bellamy, Lexa watching closely. Looking him in the eye, I say, "Bellamy, I have warned you. I warned you when we were back on the Ark. You have two leaders and your disrespect of them will not be tolerated. This has happened twice since we came down, there won't be a third time." 

I take a deep breath and continue, "I am only giving you this last opportunity to grow up and be the man that we know that you can be. You get this one chance, because I don't want Octavia to have to watch you die. You are not in charge and you never will be. You need to get over that and fast. Now tell me, do you want to be part of this mission or not?" 

"I have to be part of it. I need to save Echo and keep Octavia safe." He says.

"Octavia is not your concern, she is more than capable of taking care of herself. Echo is your girlfriend, which in no way makes you her keeper either. We will get her out, but we can't have a loose cannon while doing so. If you can control yourself you may come and help, but you follow orders like everyone else, if not you will be escorted back and dealt with upon our return. Are we understood?" I tell him.

"Yes, Clarke. I understand." He says.

"Good, go gather your things. We leave in five minutes. If you are not ready, you will be left behind." I tell him as he nods and leaves the tent.

Lexa pulls me into her arms, kisses my forehead and says, "I don't trust him. Part of it could be what happened before, but that isn't all of it. He still wants to be in charge and his attitude is dangerous."

"I fear he will try and betray us again, which is why I want him watched. I was serious when I told him that he is only alive because of Octavia. If and when he tries something, I won't hesitate." I tell her.

"I know you won't and I will be right there with you." Lexa says.

Octavia's POV

We spent all day riding, making it just in time for the sun to set. I wanted to go in right away, but Lexa ordered me to get some rest first and enter the station just before the sun rose. So that is what I did. I know Lincoln didn't want me to do this, but he didn't try and stop me, unlike my brother.

I don't know what is going on with him. I would say that he has changed, but that is so not true. He has always been this way. I know that if he doesn't stop, he will lose his life. I am beginning to think that it is better that way. There is something missing in him and I fear that it will lead to everyone's demise. 

If it's the last thing I do, I swear it won't get that far. I will take him out myself. I need to stop this. Focus, Octavia, you have a mission. Bellamy can be handled when it is finished. There, I am just above the last room and I hear children's voices. Only one can I hear correctly, "We have to help her and escape. They are torturing her, and it is all our fault. She came to save us. My Nontu and Nomon would say to fight and never give up." 

I have to stop them, opening the hatch in the ceiling, I softly call down, "You must be Larken. I am Octavia, and I am here to save you all. I am not alone. There is a plan, but you must wait for me to signal you. Give us a few days, we will save you all and Echo as well. I can't stay, just know that help is here, Heda is here." 

I don't say anything else, as I close the hatch. I just hope they heard everything and actually listened. It's a good thing that I didn't wait to confirm, as the door slides open. A guard grabs Larken by the shoulders and hauls her out of the room. All I can do is watch, as he takes her to a room and chains her to a chair.

I know what is going to happen and I really don't want to see it, but I have to. She is just a child. I watched as they hit her a few times, "Tell me what Echo said to you." The man says.

"She called you a nomonjoker. I can see that she was right." Larken tells him with a laugh.

Damn this kid had balls, unfortunately it doesn't win her anymore favors. Or maybe it did, he hits her a couple of times and says, "I will deal with you later."

He walks out of the room and the two guards unchain her, clean her face and take her back to the other room. I think we can work with this, it seems like not all the guards are completely loyal. I make my way to another room, I hear grunts, and gasps, and the swishing sound of a whip. I look down and I see the same man that was beating Larken, whipping Echo. 

I clench my fists as I keep count, when suddenly he stops. "Don't worry, you will get more, but I have to have you in decent condition for tomorrow night, when we reunite. This time I will fully break you. You will know who you belong to." He says.

I watch as Echo looks him in the eyes and says, "Berg, you will never break me."

He punches her in the face and walks out of the room. I follow him, silently crawling through the ceiling. Finally, the guard quarters. As he walks into the room everyone there stands, bowing their heads. "You lot need to work on the Skaikru tomorrow. I want you to fully break them. I want them to scream, telling us all the skai bitches plans." He says.

So that is his real plan. He wants to target Clarke and Arcadia. Not going to happen asshole, not while I am here. He leaves the room and heads to his quarters. I stay with the guards, I want to know their full schedule by tomorrow night. I have a feeling that we will need to attack sooner rather than later.

Time flies, but I am so not having fun and it seems like the guards aren't either. It's like they don't want to be here any more than I do. I wonder if they will not fight if we offer them a choice. I want to believe that but know that we can't count on that. 

They don't interact with the kids at all today, except to bring them food. They interrogate the Skaikru, but they don't spend much time on it. I know it is time, but I don't want to start heading that way. Part of me says to just leave, but I still find myself looking down from the vent in the room Echo is in.

She is still standing up, chained to the post that she was chained to last night. I watch him come into the room, just standing behind her, breathing down her neck. I don't want to watch, but I can't stop myself. The others need to know just what we are dealing with.

He pulls his blade out, slicing through her clothes. He steps back a moment as they fall to the floor. Echo doesn't move a muscle as he runs the blade down her right cheek. It is a superficial cut, but it makes me shudder to think about what he has planned next.

He leans as close to her back as possible, licking the blood from her cheek. Stepping back a bit, gently slides the blade down her back, not making a single cut. "Remember last night when I told you that all will know who you belong to." He says so close to her ear that I can barely hear it.

It takes everything in me not to swing down and slit his throat as he carves into her flesh, no more than a quarter of an inch, but it is sickening all the same. As he pulls back, he pulls his pants down and I know that I have to get out of there.

As I leave the station, I start running as fast as I can, tears streaming down my face. I burst into Clarke and Lexa's tent before the guards could stop me. "We have to take them out. No more waiting for the perfect plan." I call out, both of them sitting up in bed, knives at the ready.

Echo's POV

I know what is coming. It has all happened before. It didn't break me then and I won't let it break me now. The kids are safe, that is all that matters to me right now. I know Sealie will bring help. I just have to hang on till then.

When I saw that look on Berg's face, I knew I had to stop him from getting his hands on Larken. No one deserves the things that he does to try to break someone, and certainly not a child. I am the only one that he has never broken. 

He always wanted another try with me, but never got it. Now it's been years and I am not sure how far he is willing to go. Let him go whatever, help for the kids is coming. So far he has beaten me and whipped me, raped me, every day. He only comes at night. Six nights, each one worse than the last. I don't know what he has planned next, but it will be worse than last night. 

I watched him kill my parents, after I refused to do it. For years he tried to get in my head. I didn't let him then and I won't let him do it now. I feel the blade on my back, I feel the letters on my back. I know it will be a part of me for the rest of my life.

As he finishes the last cut, I read it back in my mind, 'Berg's bitch'. As he pulls back I hear his zipper, the leather of his pants sliding down as he leans into my back, "From now on, I will walk you around the camp, nekid as the day you were born. Everyone will see that you are mine. Every night I will come back here and make sure that you feel it in every bone in your body. This is the way it should have always been, from the first time you disobeyed me."

I let myself go inside my head, trying to block everything out, but it is not long before I am screaming. How punishment goes on for hours. Finally, when he is finished, he steps around to face me. "I will see you in the morning, I am not sure you have had quite enough for the day." He says and I hear him walk to his bed in the corner of the room, a single tear falling down my cheek.

Tonight he didn't even lower the chains, so that I could at least sleep some on the floor. I just stand there the rest of the night, lost in my thoughts, dreading the moment he wakes up. It is not long before I hear it, an explosion near the room with the kids. 

I hear Berg get out of the bed, throwing on his armour. He stands in front of me for a second, "Don't think this will stop anything. Soon as I take care of this, you will be reminded." He says.

He smacks my ass and walks out of the room. Somehow I don't think that he will be back. I have to wait, knowing that this is it. That explosion has Raven written all over it. Of course they have to capture or kill Berg before I can get out of here, the only keys to my chains are around his neck. So I will wait, it won't be long now. I just hope that they get the kids to safety first.

Lexa's POV

It only takes a few minutes for the others to arrive, having heard Octavia yelling. "What happened Octavia?" I ask her.

She closes her eyes, shaking her head, with tears in her eyes, she says, "That Berg, he's a sick freak. I can't, I just can't, I am not sure how much longer Echo can last. It won't take long for him to go too far. We should attack by morning." 

"Any ideas on how to get the kids and the unarmed Arkers out, without putting them in danger." Clarke says.

"I think we can manage that with Raven's help." Octavia says.

"Tell me what you are thinking." Raven says.

"I think we should lead them out through the vents. We have to have a way to make sure that they can't enter these tw,o rooms. One has the Arkers and the other has the kids. What to do you say about making them go boom." Octavia says.

"Each door would have to have two bombs, one at the top, it will cause it and the ceiling to collapse. It would take hours for them to dig out. It only leaves us one problem." Raven says.

"I know. They couldn't leave the same way that I came in, not the kids. I thought about it. It will work for the Arcadians. The door is on the other side. They can leave that way, through the vents. The kids we would need another bomb set, maybe outside of the room, behind it is the forest." Octavia says.

"Where is Echo located? How do we get to her?" Clarke asks.

"That is the hard part. Even if we made it through to the room she is held in, we can't just walk in and take her out. She is chained to the ceiling, as well as to the floor. It also seems like Berg carries the only key, on a chain on his neck." Octavia says.

"So we have to capture him first." I say, this man won't escape punishment.

"What about the guards? Are all of them loyal to Berg and my mother?" Roan asks.

Octavia shakes her head, "That's just it. I believe he only has a handful of guards loyal to him. They are just scared, I heard them talking about it. They also take it really easy on the prisoners, even going out of their way to feed them better. I think that if offered a life without fear for their families, that they would turn on Berg in a heartbeat." Octavia says.

"We can work with this. Here's what needs to happen." I say, laying out the rest of my plan.

We make it to the edge of the trees. I send Raven with Anya to set the bombs at the Arcadian's door, while Lincoln and Octavia head to the kids room. Gustus and Indra will protect Echo. I have Ryder and Tristan there to help the kids escape into the woods in the back of the station. 

Clarke and I ride up to the front, four thousand warriors at our back. There we wait, we wait for the Raven's bombs to go off, we wait for chaos to ensure. I squeeze Clarke's hand as we step out of the trees, hearing the explosions. 

The guards notice our numbers and wait, it is Roan that will talk to them. We watch him walk two hundred years out, his guards at his side. One of the station guards steps forward to meet him.

We can't hear what he is saying, but we know he is telling him that anyone who either fights with us or lays down their weapons will be safe. We only come to take down the last of Nia's followers and save their prisoners.

While they are talking we see the guard nodding his head at Roan. They talk a few more minutes, when a tall man with long shaggy hair, rivaling the size of Gustus. He could only be one person, Berg. It takes seconds for him to start issuing orders. 

Before I know it, guards are fighting each other, Roan and his guards joining on. I don't even have to give the order as my warriors join in the fight, being careful not to attack those that are helping us take out the guards.

I have my sights on one man, as I fight my way towards him, Clarke at my back. Octavia we right, the station guards are not loyal towards Berg or Nia's reign. Most laid down their weapons, though the majority of them fought their fellow guards with us.

Clarke cries out in pain behind me and I turn quickly to see her fighting the bastard himself, blood flowing down her arm, one sword laying uselessly on the ground a few feet away. I see red as I join her fight. With the two of us it takes seconds to disarm him. Clarke used the hilt of her sword to knock him out.

That's all it takes, swords all around us drop to the ground, the remaining guards dropped to their knees, bowing to both Clarke and I. We round everyone up, warriors bringing ropes. As agreed, I let Roan take charge of most of our prisoners. He can weed out the ones that will receive punishment, and make sure it is all handled.

I reach down and take the chain off Berg's neck, just as Tristan and Ryder make their way towards us. "I want him chained. He comes back with us to receive his punishment." I tell them.

"Sha, Heda. He won't go anywhere." Tristan says as Ryder nods.

Clarke and I make our way into the station, Lincoln, Octavia and Larken stepping up behind us. Stopping in my tracks, I turn to the girl and say, "Maybe you should stay with the others. You can make sure that they are doing ok."

Larken bows her head and says, "With all respect, Heda. I have to see Echo. She saved me, knowing what he would do to her. I wouldn't be honoring her sacrifice if I wasn't there for her now."

I nod my head and say, "If you feel that strongly about it, then I won't stop you. You can join us Larken. We are going to unlock her, get back to Arcadia where she can heal."

"It should have been me." I hear her mumble.

Dropping to my knees, I look into her eyes and say, "There is one thing that you should know, this was not on you. You didn't deserve it anymore than Echo did. No one deserves this. The blame belongs to one man and that man will be punished. He will never have a chance to do this ever again, in this life or the next. This is my promise to you, Echo and everyone else that he has harmed."

Larken nods, takes my hand, where most have never touched me, as we walk farther into the station. As we come to a door, Clarke hits the button and it slides open. Gustus is guarding just inside the door, as Indra is holding up an unconscious Echo, a fur wrapped around her bare body.

We step inside, and I bring the key up to her locks on her feet, unlocking them, gently unlocking her wrists next. It is then that the furs slide down and bile gathers in the back of my throat. That bastard, no one deserves this. Clenching my fists, I turn to Gustus and say, "Bring some clothes that will fit her. We are not taking her out like this."

He nods as Indra carries her over to the bed. Starting with her face and chest, Clarke cleans ànd bandages all wounds. We gently turn her over, as Clarke does the same for her back. It is then that I also notice the deep cuts shaped like the buckles on Berg's armour. Close my eyes as Clarke finishes and Gustus returns, handing Indra some clothes.

Clarke and Indra get her dressed and Clarke turns to me and says, "We will need a cart. She can't ride. It's going to be a while before she can." 

"I am sure that won't be a problem." I tell her.

"Someone should ride with her? Some of her wounds are already infected and others need to be stitched better. She needs to be kept still, so they don't reopen. It's also getting colder, she needs to stay warm." Clarke says.

"It should be me. I can do all that. I owe her that and more." Larken says.

"I will get a cart ready." Gustus says.

Gustus leaves the room and I turn to Larken and ask, "Is there anywhere that has plenty of furs, she shouldn't be wrapped up in his scent."

"I will get some and meet you outside at the cart." Larken says as she walks out of the room.

As soon as she is gone, Clarke starts sobbing. "I sent her on this mission. I know it's not my fault, but it still hurts that this happened to her." She says.

I pull her into my arms, kiss her temple and say, "She will be ok. I told you about sacrifices, hers will be greatly honored, I will make sure of it. I am sure the desert clan will as well. Rape is considered one of the most heinous of crimes, throught all the clans, but the rape of children is even worse. Berg will pay for all that he has done."

"I know, he will be, but it still does take the pain away from his victims. Only time can do that and good people there can help them on their way." Clarke says. 

Indra picks Echo up ever so gently as we walk out the room, down the halls and outside. Larken is just finishing up laying down the furs in the cart. She pulls them back, just enough for Indra to lay Echo down. It will take us at least an extra day to make it back to Arcadia. 

Two days traveling and I hope she sleeps through it all. It will certainly help with the healing process. Sleep always does. Larken climbs in next to her, as I turn to Roan and say, "Punish who you see deserves it. The others should dismantle the station and transport the parts back to Arcadia. Then and only then should they return to their families."

"Those deserving punishment will meet a slow death. The others will do as you say, but maybe Raven should stay. Most of them do not understand Ark Tek. I would hate for anything to be damaged." Roan says.

I think about it for a moment and says, "Raven may stay, but Anya will stay as well. Make sure that nothing happens to either of them. I expect them back in Arcadia within the week, same as you. We have much to discuss, before we head to Polis."

Roan bows his head and says, "Sha, Heda. I will see that it is done and that we return on time."

Roan walks away, Gustus taking his place, what is that bundled up in his arms. Indra walks up to him and takes the bundle from him. A baby, I would never have thought to ever see him caring for one, and the look on his face holds such reverence.

Larken looks over and says, "That is Rufio, his mother was a few years older than me, she died bringing him into the world. He is a week old. When his mother, Karin died, Berg wanted him put down like a dog, but he was distracted by Echo. We took care of him, he deserves a life that is different from his mothers. She became a prisoner here when she was three. I am glad that he is free of this place."

"He will be well taken care of, as will every kid here, even the ones with no families to go back to. I will make sure of it." I tell her.

Gustus turns to me and says, "I want to take care of Rufio. Just looking at him, he reminds me so much of my brother, that the mountain took from us." 

"He does. I will help you take care of him." Indra says with a small smile.

I look at Clarke for a moment before speaking, "I will make it known, from this day forward Rufio is the child of Indra and Gustus. First though we will have Abby check out his health in Arcadia."

I look up just in time to see Bellamy come rushing our way. Clarke steps in front of his path, stopping him in his tracks. The look on his face is concerning to say the least. He looks at Clarke and asks, "Is she ok? Why is she unconscious?" 

"Bellamy, she was tortured. She will be ok. Her body needs rest. She will get that in Arkadia. We are headed there now. I don't care if she is your girlfriend or not. You can see her after my mother takes care of her. I have done all that I can do here." Clarke tells him.

"She better be ok." Bellamy huffs as he heads to his horse.

I look at Clarke and she just shakes her head. We both know that eventually something will have to be done with him. "I know, soon. My father once said 'give someone enough rope and they will hang themselves with it', we will continue to watch him. Let's see how far he is willing to go." She says and I nod. She is right, even if I want it over and done with, now is not the time.

Berg, who is now awake, gagged and chained to the back of Tristan's horse, looking pissed to the world is struggling with his chains. I hold no sympathy for the man, but we have a long head of us. "Put a bag over his head Tristan and put him on his own horse. He will not slow us down and I want him lasting his whole punishment."

With that, the rest of us mount our horses and head out. It takes us just over two days, what with setting up camp one night and making regular stops to make sure everyone and the horses are plenty rested. We ride into Arcadia a few hours after sunset, Jake and Abby ready and waiting with a stretcher for Echo.

I turn to Tristan, just as he takes Berg down from his horse, "Jake here will take you to the skybox. He is to be put into the solitary cell. I want him chained to the bed there. Jake will keep the one key to his cell and you the other. Indra and Gustus will hold onto the keys to his chains. He is to have no visitors and food twice a day until punishment. Every twelve hours, Ryder will replace you. You and Ryder will be his only guard. I will not risk an escape." I tell him. 

"Sha, Heda. I will see to it."

Indra and Gustus continue to take care of Rufio. I even heard Gustus cooing at him last night. This is a big change, seeing him like this, but I can't say that it is not a welcome sight. Lincoln and Octavia join Clarke and I in the infirmary, Bellamy already inside.

I can see the anger and resentment flowing off him in waves, clenching his jaw hard enough to break something. Echo is awake on the bed as Abby starts talking, "You will have to take it easy for a few weeks till your wounds heal. Your wounds are not the only thing to talk about though."

Bellamy squeezes her hand and asks, "What else could there possibly be?"

Abby turns to Echo and says, "There are things of a personal nature that you might want some privacy before I say anything else."

Echo looks around at all of us and turns back to Abby and says, "Everyone here is seingeda. They can stay."

Clarke walks over to her other side and takes her other hand. "The carving on your back will heal. If you would like, when your back heals, I am sure Octavia wouldn't mind making a tattoo to cover it up." Abby says.

"I might keep it like it is. I am not sure. It is something to think about." Echo says.

I can see the look in Bellamy's eyes, one of disgust and anger. I am not sure if anyone else sees the same thing or not. It is something that I will have to talk to Clarke about later. 

My attention on Bellamy is distracted a bit at Abby's next words, "Now we come to the part that will be the hardest to digest. I ran some blood work on you, your hcg levels are at a level that tells me you are with child. I know this is something that you might not want to hear, but given the circumstances of how this came to be, we have technology that can help us take care of the baby safely, if that is what you would like to do."

Echo takes her left hand out of Bellamy's grape and places it on her stomach, before saying anything, "A baby? Skaikru can get rid of it?"

"We can. It is your choice though. You have a month or two to decide." Abby says.

"I don't need the time. I am keeping the baby. It is not the baby's fault how he came to be." Echo says.

Bellamy's anger hits the roof at this time, "Isn't that something that we should both discuss? I think you should get rid of it." He yells.

Octavia looks at him and angrily asks, "So you are saying that mom should have gotten rid of me?" 

"Maybe she should have. Your father hurt her and her having you caused all of us a lot of problems." Bellamy screams right back at her.

"You are not my brother." Octavia says sadly.

"It's a good thing that it isn't your choice Bellamy. I don't even know who you are anymore. Octavia is and never has been a problem. The only problem that I see is you. I am keeping my baby." Echo says.

Bellamy takes a few steps back, turns around and heads out the room, knocking a tray to the floor in his anger. Octavia looks at Echo and says, "We will be here for you. Your baby will be spoiled like no other. We will make sure of it." 

We all nod our heads, confirming that we are with Octavia in this. It isn't long before Echo nods off, it having been an emotional reunion with everyone. Larken, who has been standing on the other side of the room comes over and says, "I will stay with her, in case she needs anything."

At this point, I see that there is know point in arguing with her. Her stubbornness she gets from her mom, Caris. Abby pulls over another bed and says, "You will need a place to sleep then. You can sleep here. I will take the couch in my office, just through those doors. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come in."

With that we all head out the room. As we make it outside of the Ark, I turn to the others and say, "Get some rest tonight. We will talk more tomorrow."

They all nod and Clarke and I head into our tent. We take a few minutes to take our outer clothes off and clean our faces, before collapsing onto the bed. I pull the furs over us, pulling her tight, "Reshop ai hodnes." I say after kissing her shoulder.

"Night, Lexa. I love you." Clarke says as she wiggles her back closer to my front.

Bellamy's POV

I can't fucking believe this shit. After everything that I have done for all of them. How many times did I save their lives? They still treat me worse than a janitor. I was the leader of the 100. What makes Clarke think she is better than me. 

I should be Skaikru's leader, not her. She would be dead without me, and so would everyone else. My own sister hates me and I sacrificed everything for her. I never had a life of my own, not till Echo, not really.

Clarke just had to send her on that mission. In Clarke's mind, it had to be Echo. Then Echo decides that she has to be the one to save a bunch of whiny brats. She has to be the one to sacrifice herself.

I could almost live with what that asshole did to her. He was just as bad as Octavia's father. Then Echo says she wants to keep the reminder of him. I would always see her back and remember that she belonged to someone else. 

Oh sure let's keep the evil spawn's child, like I have no say in the matter. I am never helping raise another child that is not mine. They can all forget about it. Echo is only in Arcadia because of me. I should have never been with her. She is the enemy, but so is Clarke. 

How many of our people's deaths has she caused. Too damn many. Clarke has to go. I can't do it without help though. Who hates Clarke enough to help me? That's it. I know just the person. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. 

I need to go to Polis with them. He will definitely help me get rid of Clarke. Who knows maybe I can take both of them out at the same time, two birds, one stone. I just have to come up with a plan to approach him, without anyone knowing. If I can manage this, then I will be able to take my rightful place. I will lead them all, after I make Madi the new commander.


	16. Chapter 16 "Heda's kriken lukot"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Echo deals with her recovery and makes some personal, an old friend of Lexa's is there to help her.

Chapter 16 "Heda's kriken lukot"

Octavia's POV

Last night I realized that my brother is a lost cause. The way he talked about Echo and me as well, about something that was so out of our control, showed us how he truly feels. I will have to talk to Clarke and to Lexa about it. 

Then there is the issue with Echo. She deserves so much better than him. I learned a few things living ten years on Skyring, though I refused to believe them. When Clarke and Lexa asked me to keep and I on him, I saw the truth. It took me seeing how he treated Echo, my brother is and has always been an abusive bastard. 

Diyosa tried to tell me about his form of abuse. He is emotionally abusive, and tries to make everyone around think that is them that are responsible. He was really good at it with me and Clarke, and I see the same thing with Echo. It is called gaslighting. Him and his silver tongue making us feel guilty for everything, even when he was the one responsible for his own actions. He never paid the cost, but I know that will change this time.

As Lincoln and I finish eating breakfast, he kisses my cheek and says, "I know Bellamy is weighing on your mind. No matter what happens with him. I am always here for you, hodnes." 

I squeeze his hand before we finish putting our armour on. "Your right. I love him, but I also know him better than anyone. He is planning something and we will have to stop it." I tell him.

"You were arguing with him last night and I noticed someone else in the infirmary. She seemed very interested in our conversation and very interested in Echo. I don't know what it is, but I think we should talk to her." He says.

As I try to think who it is, it hits me, "You mean Whitlocke. She is the one that saved Clarke and Lexa at the mountain. I didn't get a chance to see how since I was in the tunnels at the time. Do you think there is more to her? Should we keep an I on her?" I ask him.

"Lok as most of us call her, she is a friend. She is a good person. Her past, like most of us in the clans, is full of pain. I can not tell you her story, for it is for her and her only to talk about. At one time, she was almost finished with her training. She was all set to take the final test to be part of heads guard. That is until something happened in her personal life. Instead she became one of Lexa's generals." He tells me.

As I pull my boots on, I ask, "So she is a good person and we can trust her. What do you think her interest in Echo is?" 

"I know her family really well, her mother was the sister of Anya's mother. Trikru and Trishana kru were always allies. Lok had an older brother and a younger one. The younger one is coming tomorrow, the only one left her family. The mountain took everyone else. It's been years since I have seen Lok look at anyone the way she did Echo last night." He says.

I shake my head before I say, "You are saying that Lok is interested in Echo. Well as of right now, Echo is still with Bellamy, though I really don't see that lasting much longer. However, I think what Echo needs more now is a friend, not someone new." 

"That's just it, Lok isn't like that. She has had to do too much, seen too much, and it isn't the type of person she is. Friend or partner, Lok will not push herself on anyone. Truthfully, I couldn't see anyone better for either of them, in time that is and Lok is nothing but patient, in most cases." He says as we leave our tent, headed towards the Ark.

"I still want to talk to her, but I will wait. There is still much to do first." I say.

Walking into the infirmary we hear a crash and yelling coming from Bellamy, "I still don't understand why you would have that bastards baby, and then to also keep that reminder of him on your back where I have to fucking see them both every damn day, knowing that you care more for it than you do me. I didn't even know what your fucking real name is."

As we make it inside the room, Bellamy is standing over Echo, hands on her shoulders, keeping her from moving. Before we can make it to her, Lok has a knife to Bellamy's throat and he releases his hold on Echo. "Gon we, you will not be hurting anyone here today." Lok tells Bellamy.

As Bellamy stands, he turns to Lok and sneers, "What is it to you, bitch? This is a private matter, you should be the one leaving."

Lincoln and I walk over, from behind we grab his arms, pulling him away from the bed. "Wait, I have something I need to say." Echo says from the bed.

Bellamy starts to struggle in our arms, "You have said enough, we will talk about this later, in private." He says.

As Lok steps a bit closer to the bed, Echo reaches out grabbing her hand to help her sit up, "I didn't ever tell anyone my name. It is in the past. You however, are not the person that I thought you were. It goes much, much deeper than a name. I do not want you to be a part of my life anymore and you will never be near my baby. I don't trust you anymore. We are through. Now you can leave and never try to talk to me again." She says, as she collapses, but before she hits the bed, Lok gently lowers her down, a look of worry on her face.

Shaking my head, "Come on big brother, it's time to see Wanheda and Heda." I say as Lincoln and I lead him out of the room, towards the big tent in the middle of the camp.

Lok's POV

As I gently lower Echo to the bed, her eyes already closing, Dr. Abby comes over, checking Echo over. "Is she going to be ok?" I ask.

I don't know what it is with Echo, but she seems to bring out the protector in me. It's been a long time since I have felt this way. I don't know why, I don't even really know her. Maybe it is what I overheard from my bed last night. No one deserves what happened to her, and no one deserves to be treated like that boy in a man's body was treating her, injured or not.

It brought up so many memories, memories that should have stayed buried. Shaking my head, not sure what is wrong with me, Echo isn't mind to protect, I couldn't go through that again. Hodnes laik kwelnes, I have to keep telling myself that.

I notice Abby looking at me before she speaks, "Echo will be fine. She has long to go in her healing process, but she will get there. Now I think it is time that we talk, just the two of us."

"What is there to talk about?" I ask her.

She smiles at me and says, "I am not going to bite your head off. If I assume correctly, you heard everything last night. You know exactly what has happened to Echo and some of the challenges that she will have to face."

"I did, but I don't know what that has to do with anything." I tell her.

"I saw the way you were looking at her, last night and a few moments ago." She says.

"I don't know what you are trying to say here. Echo is hurt, I would help anyone in her position, it's kind of my job." I tell her, not sure that I believe it myself.

"Something you should know about me, miss Whitlocke. I see things. I saw it in my daughter and the commander, long before they did. I see it in Anya and Raven and many others. You might not know it yet, but I see it already, Echo will be a very big part of your life." She says.

Swallowing hard, I say, "I will always help anyone that needs it. I am a warrior, that is what we do, we protect the people."

She shakes her head, places her hand on mine and says, "Like I said, I see the way you have been looking at her and there is more there."

"Maybe, I don't know. She is strong, oh so strong and beautiful. She reminds me of someone." I say, not really knowing why.

She pulls me in for a hug, arms wrapping around me, as I awkwardly bring my arm up to pat her back. No one has touched me in a long, long time, cept when I needed healing, it almost breaks something in me, almost. Finally she pulls back, a smile on her face as she says, "You are just like her you know."

I swallow hard and ask, "Who am I just like?" 

"You are just like Lexa. She didn't like to show her feelings as well, but she has gotten better at it. I still feel the need to warn you." She says.

"Nothing to warn me about, not sure that I will see Echo again after this week. The mountain is defeated, I will more than likely head home with my brother, after the ceremony in Polis." I tell her.

"I think you will both cross paths again, but what I am trying to say is important, regardless of what happens. I have many that I consider my kids, Echo is one of them. She doesn't show it, but she is hurting, just like I can see that your eyes are haunted by something. I won't press you as to what that is, that is your story to tell. However, I will tell you that Echo needs someone right now, not a relationship though. She needs a friend. If you felt yourself growing closer to her, please, for her, take it slow." Abby says.

I swallow before saying, "Hodnes laik kwelnes."

"I don't think that you truly believe that. I will let you in on a secret, before I let you go, as your time here is finished, though you are welcome at any time. Hodnes nau laik kwelnes. Hodnes laik uf. It gives you the strength to keep fighting, when the battle seems lost." She says.

Before she can turn around, a single tear falls down my face, "I used to know someone who used to say that same thing." I say.

She squeezes my hand before leaving me to my moment. Turning my gaze to Echo, I shook my head, Cami died because I sent for her, wanted to see her, I can't let myself become that weak again. 

We grew up with each other, her name was Cambri. So beautiful, with her brown hair and deep deep brown eyes. We grew up together. My mom being Anya's aunt, got me the position with Heda, not long after her conclave. I had just finished training to be a warrior. I was sixteen when we fell in love and when I turned seventeen, almost finished with my training, I sent for her. 

It was time, in my heart to ask her to be my houmon, there was no one else for me. My older brother Link, was supposed to escort her to Polis. They never even came close. It was Indra that found Link, killed by a reaper. They never found her body, which means that the mountain took her.

Their death destroyed me. I couldn't be around many people after the releasing ceremony for my brother. Heda was happy with Costia and even though I was supposed to take my last test, becoming her guard, I couldn't do it. I had a new mission in life. I had to destroy the mountain and everything in it, so I became one of her generals. 

When rumors started about her and this Skai Heda, I had to see for myself. I watched them in all the meetings and it was plain to see how much they were made for each other. At the mountain, I took down many mountain men, but the moment they had both of them in their sights, I knew this was it. I took both bullets meant for them, and would not change a thing about it, even if it had ended my fight.

Looking at Echo, I can see how special that she is, but can I open my heart again? Is it fair to Cami? At this time it doesn't matter, I am going home after the honor ceremony in Polis. It is time for me to join Ilian on the farm. He has been running it alone for far too long. I still can't help myself, as I lean over, pressing the gentlest of kisses on top of Echo's head, before leaving the infirmary, heading towards the command tent.

Lexa's POV

Clarke and I are just talking about Titus, when the tent flaps open and Lincoln and Octavia drag a struggling Bellamy into the room, pushing him to his knees. Clarke looks over and asks, "What has he done now?"

Octavia shakes her head and says, "He was in an argument with Echo, we didn't hear all of it, someone else was there. She stepped in before it could go any further."

I nod at them and they release him so that he can stand. "Bitch should have minded her own damn business. Echo and I still have some things to discuss." He says without looking at us.

Lincoln looks at us like there is more to say on the matter. "Speak Lincoln. What is on your mind." I ask him.

Looking directly at me he begins to speak, "It was an argument between a couple, at the time. Lok stepping in at that though, was the right decision. Bellamy wasn't really hurting her at the time, not that I could see, but his words were causing much stress on Echo. However, there is more after that."

I snap my head up at that name, Lok and have known each other for years, our stories so similar. I could still see the pain in her eyes, years later at the mountain. She is being honored in Polis for saving our lives there. She also took down sixteen of the mountain men, took both bullets meant for Clarke and I.

A few years older than me, we have always been friends, training and fighting together. She is Anya's and I trust her and her judgement just as much as I do Anya's. "Lok has never done anything in her life without a reason, it is not who she is. You may continue, Lincoln."

Seems Bellamy is keeping his mouth shut now, which is a good thing. "Echo has made it clear, to all in the infirmary, that her and Bellamy are finished. She told him not to come near her anymore. There is more to say, but it only concerns Lok." He says.

I call out for Gustus, "Gustos, escort Bellamy to Jake. Jake can see to it that he has something to occupy his time before we head to Polis, when Echo is healed enough." I tell him and they walk out of the tent.

As soon as I am sure that they are far enough away, I nod at Lincoln to continue. "Lok seems interested in Echo. I couldn't say how deep that interest goes. It could be just the fact that she is a strong warrior that volunteered to put her life on the line for children. Though I think it runs deeper than that. We both know what she lived with the past six years. I for one do not want her to isolate herself on the farm. I think that would definitely be the end of her, now that she doesn't have a mission." He says.

I think for a moment before I speak, "You are right, I fear that if that happens that we might never see her again. I will offer her a mission. Let's see how deep this connection that she has with Echo truly is. It will give her time anyways. After that though, there is not much that we can do. If I am speaking true, I do not think that she would ever not accept a mission of protecting someone, especially when it is temporary."

Octavia speaks up at this time, "I am seeing things about Bellamy that I refused to believe were true before. Diyosa tried to tell me, when we were Skyring, just how abusive he is. I refused to see it, but I see it with Echo, and it brings up the last timeline, and how he was towards us. He was always abusive towards most of us, especially Clarke and I. No he never hit us, but his tongue was always in use."

I squeeze Clarke's hand, knowing just how much she has gone through with him. We have talked much about it. "Tell us, how far do you think he will go?" Clarke asks.

Octavia thinks for a moment, shaking her head, biting her lip before she answers, "If I know him as well as I think I do, there were many times he tried to control everything, to be in charge. Teaming up with Pike was the worst. However, I do not think he will go about it in the same way this time, he can't. I think it will be worse than before. He would want to take the head off and start fresh, with someone he thinks that he can control. He will also team up with someone, hoping to place the blame on them, if things turn out different than the way he wants. He won't stop though, he never will."

"I can really think of only one person that would help him at this time." Clarke says.

I close my eyes for a moment, knowing just who she is talking about. "How do you feel about all this Octavia? I mean he is your brother." I ask her.

"Like I said, he has always been this way and he always will. We can't change him. He is not made for this world and he never will be. We will have to do what we have to do, in order to make sure he doesn't take anyone else out with him." She says.

Kissing the top of Clarke's fingers, I am about to tell them my plan when Ryder let's Lok into the tent. She comes within five feet of us and kneels. "Whitlock kom Trishana kru, you never have to bow for us. Stand up and tell us what brings you here at this time even though I was about to send for you." I ask her.

She looks around at the occupants in the tent before speaking, "I threatened a member of Skaikru this morning, I thought you should know. I didn't harm him, but I would have, if he had kept hurting one of your wounded warriors. I would do it again, but also I think he is not someone to ever turn your back on."

I smile at her, this is going to be easier than I thought. "We were just discussing that and Bellamy is at the top of our watch list, but there is someone else that sits right there with him on that list." I tell her.

"Who is it Leksa? I can take them both out for you." She says.

"Bellamy we would have already, but he also holds some hold throughout Skaikru. We believe that he will strike soon, and he will choose to work with this other person in order to do so. The other person is who we really have to be careful with, they hold almost just as much power as I do, but I know he is a traitor to me, the flame and the people." I tell her.

I see the shock on her face before she says, "No, not Titus. I never liked him, but do you really think he would betray the flame and he people and you?" She asks.

"I know he would, in fact, he already has. He had Costia taken and killed and he killed me in the previous timeline. Thing is we need proof against him and we don't have that yet. That is where Bellamy comes in. We think that they will join forces, so that they can both have control, then Titus will get rid of him." I tell her.

"So what is your plan, Leksa?" She asks me.

"Bellamy is going to make his move soon. Octavia and Lincoln are the only that can keep an eye on him, not many others can get close to him. We have a tracker and a bug on him. That is Skaikru Tek, the bug is a listening device that we have someone recording and listening to and the tracker is a location device that we had Abby place inside his body. He will be going with us to Polis for the ceremonies, that is where we think that he will make his move. There is another issue though, that we need help with, and at this time, I could only think of you for the mission." I tell her.

"What is the mission?" She asks me.

"Echo, she needs someone to protect her while she is healing. We fear that Bellamy will come after her. She is the coalition's best spy and a very strong warrior. She is also family. Can I count on you to keep her and her baby safe, at least for now. You can say no and go home to your family farm. You have done so much for the coalition and for me already." I tell her.

Lok looks up at time, swallows, clenches her fists and says, "I will keep them both safe, for as long as needed. Also, if you need anything else, I am here for you. Together we have both been through a lot. I have also been thinking, the people have been talking." 

I can see the change in her eyes as she speaks of Echo and her baby. She doesn't know it yet, but I can see how she feels. "What are the people saying?" Clarke asks her.

"They talk about many things. They talk about Praimfaya and another war, a war to like no other. They also talk about a love that will bring us the peace that most have always wanted." Lok says.

I squeeze Clarke's hand before I speak again, "We are hoping to stop both of those. We have a back up plan for Praimfaya. The war, we hope to stop it before it can happen. If not, we will fight and we will win. What exactly do they say about our love and what do you think about it?"

"The people actually rejoice in your love. Never before, that we know of, have we had such strong warriors to lead the people together. They believe that both of you together will help the clans and the earth heal, just like it was foretold in the history of the flame. As for me, I am happy for you, Leksa. You deserve happiness." Lok tells me.

"Thank you, Lok and so do you by the way. We will talk more about plans and what is to come. We have time. Why don't you head back to the infirmary. It's time for Octavia to have a chat with her brother." I tell her and all three leave the tent, leaving me and Clarke alone.

We both stand as one as I pull her in my arms, kiss the top of her head before resting mine on top of hers. My heart beating in my chest as I think about what Lok said. Truth I don't know as much about the histories of the flame. I studied some, but mostly more recent years. The years of the mountain. 

Anya took me out of many of my commander classes. She spent more time training me than most of the nightbloods received. Without it, I know I wouldn't have won my conclave. I wouldn't be here now, if she hadn't, none of us would. Anya is the reason that I am able to hold this beautiful woman in my arms.

I hope Lok finds that in Echo. I think, though it will take time for Echo to heal, that they are perfect for each other. Bellamy never deserved her, not even close. I also, though not sure if Clarke knows, that he has always had this sick fascination with her. I have always known it, for a while I thought she shared those feelings, but I know she doesn't now. I can see the love in his eyes that he has for her, but I also see the resentment and I know it will be her that he targets and I will not let him hurt her, not ever.

Echo's POV

I know everyone thought I was sleeping earlier, but I wasn't. I just didn't want to talk, and I sure as hell didn't want to talk about Bellamy. How could I have ever been so wrong about him? When did I ever become so blind. Skaikru has shown me that love is not a weakness. 

I thought I was in love with him, but really I was in love with a lie, a perception of him that he showed everyone. Was everything he ever said a lie? Looking back, I see how he was with others, especially Clarke and Octavia. He always wanted to be in control of everything. I could see the resentment in his eyes when he wasn't, but I chose to ignore it. 

I always saw the way that he looked at Clarke, he loves her and he hates her. One minute he wants to kill her and the next he wants to ravish her. I just ignored it. The last few days have shown me who he really is and I can't ignore it anymore. Part of me always knew that I couldn't really trust him. It's why I never told him about my past. I am happy now that I didn't.

Never thought that I would see the day though, that he laid his hands on me. It didn't hurt really, even though I know it left some bruises on my shoulders. The wounds on my back pulled more than anything, with him pushing my back into the bed. I have never felt so weak in my life, but I couldn't give in. I knew then that I couldn't have him in my life, not with a baby, and I wouldn't want to anyways.

I have heard of the warrior that stepped in, who hasn't. Even before the mountain, she had made a name for herself in the clans. She fights in battles and is well known for her skills, but it has also been talked about how she is a protector of children. It was also interesting, the talk Abby had with her. I shouldn't have listened, but I couldn't help but hear some of it, not when my name was mentioned.

Surely Abby was incorrect in her assumptions that she threatened Bellamy because she is interested in me. No one could be interested in me at this time, not with not only my injuries but having a baby growing in me. It wouldn't matter anyways, I am not the type of person to just jump into something the very day that I ended something else.

The doors open at this time and she walks in, my breath catches in my throat for a moment, her dark brown hair in a single braid, with gold stars dancing in her dark brown eyes. She stops at the foot of my bed, her six foot one lithe frame towering looking down at me. Looks like I haven't seen the last of her. "I suppose you are wondering why I am back." She says.

"That thought did cross my mind. I would have thought you would be long gone by now." I say.

"You can't get rid of me that easily. I guess I should introduce myself and say why I am here. My name is Whitlock. I am from Trishana. I am here because of Heda. She has asked me to be your guard, at least until the ceremony in Polis has concluded." Lok says.

Her manner of speaking is very informal. It is almost like she doesn't have very many conversations, unless it is about duty. Which actually is like most warriors. I look at her and say, "I know who you are and I don't need a guard. I am fine without one."

She looks at me and I see a little bit of a hint of a smile as she says, "Well Echo, I already have my orders. I will follow them, but I can understand how you feel. How about settling in having a friend instead of a guard, though I really don't do the friend thing very often, all but a few died many years ago."

"If you don't do the whole friend thing much, why would you want to be my friend. As you can see, for now I am not up to starting new friendships." I tell her.

She closes her eyes to a moment before speaking again, "I used to have many friends, but the mountain and war took all but two. Now that the mountain has been defeated, maybe just maybe I can start with having a few more friends in my life. I was hoping that you needed one as well. I don't know many other people, at least people that are not under my command and with me stepping down soon, there really isn't anyone else."

I think it is either the sadness in her eyes, that is so familiar to me, or maybe it is her direct honesty, but I find myself responding in a way I didn't think I would. "I think everyone needs as many friends they can have. Skaikru taught me that. We can be friends, but I am nowhere ready for anything else."

Her smile grows just a tiny bit as she says, "Friends it is then, for I am not sure I will ever be ready for more. I will leave you to get some more rest."

I watch her walk over to a chair in the corner and sit. I feel there is a story there, but she isn't close to being ready to talk about it and that is ok. I am not ready to talk about the past with her either. It doesn't take me long for sleep to take me.

Lok's POV

It's been three weeks since I talked to Echo for the first time. Bellamy has tried to talk to her a few more times in the last few weeks and I am glad that I was here each time. The last time, Clarke was here as well and sent him on his way. I see how each visit he makes affects her. 

We have talked alot about him and the past. She sees so much about him now that she never did. We leave for Polis tomorrow and I know Lexa asked me to guard her till the honor ceremony, but I have already decided, even after that, I can't leave her. I know she isn't ready for anything more than friendship, and the truth is I am not either, but eventually I know that is what I want.

I have learned about her past, but I haven't shared but glimpses of mine yet. I want to, but part of me thinks that it will scare her off and until I do share it, I know that there can be nothing more than friendship, no matter what my feelings are telling me. 

As Abby walks in the room, I lean over and kiss the top of her head, her eyes opening up with a smile. Abby has come to check on her almost healed wounds one more time before we leave tomorrow. As Abby goes to remove the last bandage on her back, I am about to move to the chair, having never overstepped her privacy, but Abby stops me and says, "Actually, though her wounds are pretty much healed, she will need the poultice rubbed on her back daily, for at least another week or two and I know Clarke will be busy."

I swallow hard and nod my head, knowing this will be hard for me. Scars don't really bother me. I have plenty of my own, but what happened to her and just thinking about it hurts me. I take a deep breath as Abby removes the bandages for the last time and I clench my jaw. I was right, seeing it is much much worse. If he wasn't being executed today then I would kill that bastard myself.

It doesn't take Abby long to finish and Echo is pulling on her shirt, "Remember daily for another week or two, and I should see you no longer than a month for a check up. It will be at this time that we can see how healthy the baby is, and if you want, if it is a boy or a girl."

I look up at that, Skaikru tek is like nothing I have ever heard of before. For a moment I imagine a smiling Echo in bed, holding a baby with other little kids running around. Lincoln heads in and says, "I am sorry to disturb you ladies, but it is time."

We all walk out together and I know that I have to keep it together, my emotions are running wild. I have this urge to protect what is mine and Echo is not mine, but I now know that I want her to be. I don't know what seeing Berg will do to me.

We walk outside and a crowd has already formed Berg on a pole. Lexa motions for us to join them, Caris is already there with Larken, most of the other kids having gone back to their homes, heda having promised Berg's death. Larken is going to Polis with us as Octavia's second and Rufio is staying in Arcadia under Jake and Abby's care, at least until we deal with the Titus and Bellamy situations. 

Lexa must notice my clenched fist, believe it or not, I was never one to enjoy executions. I just always thought it was a waste of a life. Don't get me wrong, some people truly deserve it, they are a danger to others, then there are those that war turned them into a person that they never were. Berg, though, I would kill him a hundred times. He is the worst kind of evil, and to think that Echo survived him twice. Then all the kids that he hurt. 

My thoughts are led back to the point of the matter, as Lexa begins to speak. "Today we live in a new world. Skaikru and Wanheda have shown us a new way. The way of true peace. We might still have a few obstacles to achieve that peace. This thing in front of us is not a man. He is a demon, a demon that will no longer be tolerated in our new world. Today we end his reign of terror. He will never harm another life in this one or the next."

I watch as Echo and Larken make the first cuts together. Lexa and Clarke follow them, Caris then makes her cut, before it is my turn. I make my way up to him, walking behind him, taking out my own blade I carve into his back, for all to see, 'Chesi's bitch'. As I step around him, I bring my knee up, leaving him gasping for air. 

Walking back up to the others, Echo takes my hand and squeezes before everyone in the crowd has their chance. Finally Lexa holds her hand up, calling for the end. Handing over her ceremonial sword to Echo, she nods. Echo takes the sword and walks up to him, his eyes barely staying open at this time, and says for all to hear, "I am no one's bitch, and you will never break me." She then runs the sword into his heart.

She walks back over, handing Lexa back her sword. Lexa turns and says, "Take her to Luna, he will be fed to the sea monster."

Echo and I leave Arcadia, just for a short walk as she processes everything. She turns to me and asks, "What did you carve into him?"

"I wanted to do so much to him, he deserved so much more than he received. I had been thinking for weeks about all of the people that he has harmed, then in the infirmary, I wanted to hurt him even more because of what he did to you. I carved 'sea monster's bitch' into him. Though I wanted to do more, I knew I couldn't." I tell her.

With tears in her eyes, she cups my cheek, leans in and kisses my cheek, "Thank you, Lok." She says, taking my hand in hers as we head back into the gates to pack for tomorrow.

Bellamy's POV

I watched the execution last night from the shadows, but I didn't bother to participate. I was going to, for Echo, but she was with that Lok bitch. They were holding hands and I saw the carving that she did on his back. That should have been my job. I just don't see how Echo could keep that bastard's baby. 

I saw them on their walk afterwards as well. I was going to talk to Echo then, but then she turned to Lok and she kissed her. How could she do this to me. We were together for years. She sure as hell didn't wait long. After everything that I have done for her. She was banished by her king and I gave her a place in Skaikru, I gave her a place with me. 

Lok has to go with the others, as well as that devil's spawn, but even after that Echo needs to be taught a lesson. She will learn to listen to me. Even mom is up there with the others and I am off to the side, like the forgotten trash. I will take my rightful place as leader. I should have right away. I saved just as many, if not more lives than Clarke did.

We rode up to the gates and handed our reigns to warriors. I am ushered into the tower to a room that they have set aside for me on the third floor, two guards at the door, the others headed up to another floor. Why am I singled out in what looks like servants quarters. I am no slave and I won't be treated like one much longer. 

I walk to the door, open it, handing both guards one of the special daggers that Raven made on the Ark, before saying, "Those are yours, with the promise of two matching swords, if you can discreetly get a message to your flamekeeper. I have things to discuss with him." 

They both nod at me, one walking off towards the elevators and the other turning to me and saying, "He will get the message, but do not expect him to be here for a few hours. He is in meetings with the commander."

It's late that night before Titus enters the room, looking me up and down he asks, "What does a Skaikru brat need with the flamekeeper?"

"First, I am no brat. I am the rightful leader of Skaikru. I think you might want to talk to me. The future of the coalition is in danger from an imposter posing as the Skaikru leader. She puts your Heda in danger." I tell him.

"You have me intrigued. Tell me more." Titus says.

"If we take out Clarke from Skaikru, then you will have control over the coalition once more. Clarke is a master manipulator and she has her claws buried deep into the commander. She will change everything that the clans believe in." I tell him.

"A commander should always be alone. I have taught her that love is weakness. It seems like she has forgotten. Tell me, what is in it for you, if I help you get rid of Heda's weakness?" He asks me.

"I get to take my rightful place as leader of Skaikru and we can work together to help you regain control of your commander or start fresh with one of the nightbloods. I would work with you to keep that control." I tell him.

Titus folds his hands behind his back and starts pacing. After a few moments he stops in front of me and asks, "Say that we wanted the same things, what is it that I need to do, in order to make this happen?"

I have to hide my smile as I have him right in the palm of my hand. Looking up at him I say, "I only need two things to make this work. I know you have access to the Skaikru weapons that were put in safe keeping. I need one pistol from those stores. Then I need Heda called away, at the same time that Clarke will be busy in the throne room. You will then send the guards after Heda. I will take care of the rest and slip away through the tunnels back to my room, disposing of the gun on my way."

"The ceremony is tomorrow, the day after that is the feast. The day after the feast, there will be a pistol under your bed. You should be in the throne room two hours after sanch." Titus says as he walks out of the room.

Three days, I can wait that long I think, as I crawl into bed, a smile on my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is my favourite chapter ever. I really enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I did writing it. 
> 
> Thank you Lockie, you mean the world to me. Ai hod yu in. 
> 
> And before anyone asks, Bellamy is so going to meet his end soon. That is the one spoiler gift I will give you.
> 
> Kacie


	17. Chapter 17 "You can't save everyone."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lies, deceit and betrayal. Who is left standing in the end. Only time will tell. Bellamy seeks his revenge as well as more power. Will he be successful or will he destroy more than he seeks. We will also have a visit from Gaia in this chapter. We will see where she has been and what she has been up to.

Chapter 17 "You can't save everyone."

Madi's POV

I can't believe that I get to go to Polis. I thought for sure that Clarke would try and make me stay in Arcadia. I tried to escape and join them on the mission to save Echo, but Jake caught me everytime. He said something about being just like Clarke. At least this way, I can help them with Titus and Bellamy.

They told me that Bellamy is going to try something and I can't let him hurt anyone, especially Clarke and Lexa. I never met Lexa in the other timeline, but Clarke told me so many stories about her. There was always a sadness about her when she talked about people that had died, but never so much as when she talked about Lexa.

Meeting Lexa now, I can see why Clarke cared so much about her. I see the happiness in her that I have never seen in her before. I will make sure she always keeps that happiness. I also want to know more about Lexa. I can't believe that she is my sister. I thought I didn't have any family left, when nomon died.

I know that Lexa doesn't know much about nomon and nontu after she went to Polis, but I don't know much about them before that. Nomon would tell me stories about our family, but never about Lexa. She did tell me about the commander. She always said that she was the best commander we have ever had. Nomon said that she would one day bring peace to the clans, but I never knew that she was my sister.

I also know now that I have three aunts and I can trust them with anything. Clarke has been specific about who I can trust. There are a few others that are not family, Echo and Lok. I have met Lok before, but I don't think she remembers. She saved our village from raiders about six months ago. I told nomon that I wish I could train with her.

Nomon was always careful about when I trained. She didn't want anyone to know about my blood. Clarke was a good trainer, but at the time, she didn't have the same skills as a warrior. I can see that she has learned a few things since then. I think the only one that has trained harder than Clarke is Octavia. 

Clarke says I have to pretend like I do not know Lexa. I also have to stay with the other nightbloods. Anya and Raven are also going to stay with the other nightbloods. We are going to be learning some of Raven's tek. Most of it is communications, which I already know, but have to pretend like I don't know. 

We are stopping half way to Polis, for Echo. She has been healing well, but Abby says she needs more rest with the baby. I wish I knew Echo better. Clarke didn't know her too well from the last timeline, or at least when she was telling me stories. She did tell me that I can trust her.

I don't know why Clarke won't tell me more about what happened later in that timeline. I know we were at war with the prisoners that will come down again. Then we were at war with others, on a different planet. She says one day she will tell me. She told me about how she learned that she has sisters and Bellamy is like a brother. Though Bellamy is not to be trusted.

She says that he is a danger to everything they want to do this time. She must have learned something about him, since the last time line. All I know is that I trust Clarke and Lexa and they don't want me anywhere near him or Titus. Clarke says that Anya or Raven will make sure I am never alone with Bellamy or Titus.

I have been riding with Anya, she helps me down off the horse. Clarke says my cast can come off in a couple of more weeks and I can't wait. Lately it's been itching alot. I stand with Raven as Anya sets up a tent for the three of us. The warriors set up camp for everyone else.

I wish I could talk to Clarke, but she says that I have to act like I barely know her. I just hope that Bellamy doesn't ruin that. Raven and Anya lead me into the tent, and Raven asks, "Why have you been so quiet on the trip?"

"I've been thinking about how to help Clarke and Lexa." I tell her.

Anya frowns and says, "That's just it kid. This time we can't help them, but they have plenty of people around them that can. For now, we need your help with something else."

"What could be more important than Clarke and Lexa?" I ask.

"Part of the training we have with the nightbloods is not tek. We have to keep them safe from Titus, as well as let them know about Lexa's plan for a new conclave. We don't have many details on her plan yet, but when we talk about it, Titus can't be around. For that we need a lookout. You are that lookout and it is a mission of the utmost importance. Can you be that for us?" Anya says.

"I am good at sneaking around. I am also good at spying too. I can do it." I tell her.

I know that she is trying to keep me safe, because Clarke and Lexa will worry about me, but she isn't wrong. Titus needs to be watçhed and I can do that. Let the others watch Bellamy. Titus is my job, he won't kill Lexa this time. 

Octavia's POV

I never knew that an honour ceremony in Polis, required those honoured to wear ceremonial armour and weapons. Thankfully Lexa provided those that didn't have the right armour with all that they needed. Lincoln helped me with my war paint and my braids. 

I kiss his cheek, take his hand and say, "Lincoln, there is something that I have to tell you."

He pulls me in his arms and says, "Hodnes, you can tell me anything."

I close my eyes, take a deep breath and say, "When you died in the previous timeline, I died as well. Physically I was still here, but my heart was cold. A little bit less than six months after you died, I met someone. He wasn't you, but he made me feel something and we were all going to die anyways. Yet we didn't. He did though. I didn't love him, not really, but I didn't wish him any harm. I cared for him."

"Octavia, I love you. I don't care if you were with anyone else, for now we are together and I plan on keeping it that way. I have to ask though, why do you think this is something I need to know right now." He asks me.

"I have to tell you this now, because you know him and in a few minutes we are going to see him." I tell him.

He looks at me, kisses the top of my head and says, "You do not have to explain. I am glad that he was there to comfort you. You say that I know him. Who is he?"

"It was Illian, Lok's little brother. He is in Polis to visit her. I would have told you before, but I didn't know that he was coming, or that he was related to Lok. He won't remember me and that is how I want to keep it. Lok knows though. I was there when she mentioned his arrival last night." I told him.

"She won't tell him. She knows that the things in the last timeline are just that, in the past. If he does find out, he is not the type to fight for something or someone that is with another person. Knowing him, he knew about your feelings. All will be ok." Lincoln says as he pulls away, keeping hold of my hand as we walk out of the room to the elevator.

As we walk out of the tower we walk the streets until we hit the training arena. As we come up to Lexa and Clarke, we both bow to them both. Lincoln and I take our places next to Lok, Echo, Anya, Raven and three other warriors being honoured as well. As we kneel, Lexa and Clarke stand in front of us.

Lexa nods to Clarke, as Clarke begins her speech, "People of the Kongeda, most everyone here knows by now who I am. I am Wanheda and I am not here to take over. I wish to serve Heda and the Kongeda, with everything that I am. Working together, we both hope to make this world better for all of us. The mountain was just the beginning."

Clarke pauses, looking over the crowd, before speaking again, "Heda Leska and I are just two people though, we can never do it alone. Some say that we defeated the mountain and that may be true. However, we had help. No one person can ever do anything without help. There were many other warriors and healers that helped that are not here today. Just because they are not here today, does not mean that we do not honour them as well. Many lost their lives in the fight. Today we honour them as well. Take this moment to remember them. We will see them in the next life, which hopefully will be a more peaceful one."

After a few moments of silence, Clarke finishes her speech, "These nine people fought bravely at the mountain. There are two others that could not be here today, though they will both be honoured as well. Tristan of Trikru and Gilly of Podakru are both on missions that require them to be elsewhere. Working together, we will bring in a new world, a new world in which there will be a peace that even the old world never got to see. We can never forget those that help us bring that into fruition. From healers, to farmers, to trade masters, to warriors. We are all in this together."

As Clarke takes a step back, Lexa steps forwards and says, "These warriors in front of us today went way beyond what is expected of them. Without them, the mountain would have never fallen. We start with Raven Kom Skaikru. Raven Kom Skaikru, though she does not receive kill marks today, she is still the most formidable of warriors. Without her skills in tek, we would never have been able to succeed with the mountain's fall. Her tek saved many lives. Thank you Raven, for all that you have done and continue to do."

Titus hands Lexa a brand and Lexa presses the brand into the fleshy part of the back of Raven's hand. Raven barely flinches as it melts into the flesh, making a hissing sound. Lexa hands the brand back to Titus as she speaks again, "Echo kom Azgeda, not only did you save many lives at the mountain, but after the mountain, you sacrificed yourself to save children from years of tourture. You fought your own people, in order to save the children of other clans, almost losing your own life in the process. There can be no greater sacrifice, than one done for our children. If we were to add all the kill marks you should receive, they would not be able to fit on your back."

Titus hands Lexa another brand, and she presses it into the back of Echo's hand. "This brand signifies that you are the Kongeda's warrior. You are the first to receive it, though everyone else here today will receive the same mark. Anyone with these new marks, will follow their orders as if they were mine and Wanheda's." 

Lexa moves down the line placing the mark on the backs of all of our hands, before handing it back to Titus. The rest of us take off our armour, as Titus hands Lexa the final brand. "Octavia kom Skaikru, today you receive twelve kill marks. You are new to the ground and fought just as bravely as our strongest warriors." Lexa says as she begins to mark the flesh of my back.

She moves down the line, as everyone else receives their kill marks, finally stopping at Lok. "My friend, my warrior, you receive sixteen marks today. Not only have you fought bravely for the Kongeda and for me, for your whole life, but you also saved my life countless times. At the mountain, you jumped in front of two bullets, in order to save my life and Wanheda's. Still you kept fighting. You never gave up." Lexa says as she gives Lok her marks.

Lexa looks over the crowd for a moment, before she speaks one more time, "People of the Kongeda, we may call these kill marks, but make no mistake, every warrior remembers each mark. They fight so that all of our children might not have to. If death has no meaning, neither does life. One day we will have peace and these marks will be a thing of the past. Normally, we would have a feast after an honour ceremony, however this time we will not. In two weeks time, we will be having a fall festival. During that festival, we will be welcoming Skaikru into the Kongeda. They have earned their place with us. Then we will discuss the future. We have more work to do."

The crowd cheers as Lexa finishes her speech and we all head back into the tower. The ceremony took most of the day and it is time for the evening meal. We enter the dining room across from Lexa's room, food already set on the table, our guests with us, all except for Bellamy.

We spend a few hours talking and enjoying time with each other. Mom is the first to stand up, "I think I should head to bed. I am not as young as I used to be. Thank you Lexa and Clarke for everything." She says.

"It is you that deserves the thanks, Aurora. For without you, many more people would have perished. Your armour saved many lives, including my own." Lexa says.

Everyone else says their good night's, leaving Raven, Anya, Lincoln, Lok, Echo, Indra and me at the table with Clarke and Lexa. A guard pours us one final glass of wine and leaves the room with the dishes. "Any word on the movements of Bellamy and Titus?" Lok asks.

Raven answers her, "He had a meeting with Titus yesterday, not long after we arrived. The recording we planted on him picked it all up. He will strike right after noon, in Clarke's room. He will come through the tunnels, thinking that Clarke will be alone." 

"The guards at Bellamy's door confirmed the same thing. He paid them with special swords and daggers that Raven made. We allowed them to keep them. Titus doesn't suspect anything." Lexa says.

"How are we going to tie this plot back to Titus?" I ask them.

Clarke smiles as Lok answers, "That is the easiest part. There are tunnels that lead everywhere in the tower, but only one leads into Clarke's room and that is from Lexa's room next door. There are no exit tunnels in that room. There are only a handful of guards that know about that and they will all be with Lexa. Titus knows as he is the flamekeeper. I know because of my previous training. Their goal is to set me up for all the fall, but since we know their plan in advance, that will not be happening. Also, the map of the tunnels is clearly the work of Titus."

"Part of what Lok says is true. The rest however is in Raven's recordings, as well as the video set up in Bellamy's room. Talking about it isn't a big enough crime in order for us to be able to punish Titus. We have to either have the video evidence of him also leaving Bellamy the gun and allowing it to happen at the same time as the plan states in the video evidence." Anya tells us.

"So, who will be in the room with Clarke, when Lexa is called away?" Lincoln asks.

"Echo and Lok, will be there. Octavia and Lincoln will be here, which as you all know is only a few doors down from my room. They will be eating a late lunch. The rest of you will be with Lexa. There will be two guards at the door. Each group not in my room will have a radio that will be hearing everything in the room." Clarke says.

"If that's the case, I think we are ready. Maybe we should get some rest." Anya says.

We all leave the room, Clarke and Lexa making a show of going to separate rooms, with two guards at each door. I didn't know, last timeline that Clarke's room was next to Lexa's. Everyone in the hallway already knows that Clarke will head straight to Lexa's room, but this is just in case someone else is watching. 

Eventually all will know about their love and I can't see anyone that will be left complaining about it. I see the looks on all the clan members, even the ones that do not remember Clarke. They worship her just like they do Lexa, maybe even a bit more. It just makes everyone else's job easier. Without Lexa and Clarke, everything will fall apart, not to mention the devastation it would cause to those of us that love them both.

Lincoln and I head towards our room on the third floor of the tower. We just have to wait till tomorrow. I don't know how I feel about losing Bellamy, but I know that it will happen. He is definitely not made for this world. It's going to destroy mom even more than me. I wish we could just banish him, but he would still be a danger. 

Lincoln and I strip out of our armour and clothes. He helps me with my war paint and braids. He seems to know that I am still processing the loss of my brother. There are no words needed on this night, as he pulls me in his arms, kissing the top of my head, we lay there till sleep finds us.

Bellamy's POV

I take one last look at the map before making my way to the hidden door inside my bathroom. I will have to make a couple of turns to the right and up the stairs I go. I have to watch my time, if I am there too early, there will be too many people. Titus said that the commander would be off the floor by twelve, so I should show up about fifteen minutes after that.

He said that there should not be any guards at the door. They will be called away at that time. I will have thirty minutes to do what I need and quickly get back to my room after dropping the gun outside of Lok's room. I don't understand what either Clarke or Echo sees in that savage bitch.

I thought that one day Clarke would be mine. When she was mine, I would become the leader, just as it should have always been. Then the commander brainwashed her. I should have just killed Clarke the first time on the ground. I could have made it look like an accident, but I held off and she just became more powerful.

I thought that by convincing Pike to kill all the warriors that day, except Indra as a messenger would start the war that I needed to take control. Clarke just had to stop that as well, even though I was so close. Then Allie happened and the power plants. It just seemed like I could never catch a break.

I don't know what happened on the other planet. I must have died. It must have been all Clarke's fault. We seem to lose more people when she is in charge. Now she is going to turn Echo against me. I spent six years getting her to be completely under my spell and Clarke is going to take that away as well. I think not.

I will be the leader Arcadia needs. Then the grounders will die, all in good time. As I come up to the stairs, I know I have to hurry, with six flights to climb. It takes me five minutes to climb them. I will have to run down them when I finish. There are only two bedrooms on this floor, the other two are meeting rooms. 

As I step into the bathroom, I notice Clarke's watch on the bathroom counter. I blink a few times before I smash my fist against its face. Why did all the privileged get the nice things? Just as I close the door leading into the closet of Clarke's bathroom, I hear a knock at the door. I can't tell who it is by the voices. I guess I will have to wait.

As I look around the room, I notice how fancy everything is. In some ways it is more fancy than the commander's room. "Spoiled princess." I whisper.

I close my eyes, just waiting. Soon I think, as a grin forms on my face. I am not sure how long it has been, but surely the person that came in to talk to Clarke is long gone by now. Slowly I open the door, now is the time that I become the leader I always should have been.

Clarke's POV

I glance around the room as there is a knock on the door. It is just the three of us in the room, Echo, Lok and me. I know Bellamy is here, I heard a thump from Lexa's bathroom. I look into Lok's eyes as I slowly open the door. There on the other side is Octavia's mother. She can't be here right now. 

She glides in and takes a seat on the couch. I turn my head towards Echo and Lock, eyes wide as Aurora speaks, "I am sorry to burst in like this unannounced, but I wanted to speak to you about Bellamy. I won't be but a minute."

I decided to make this as quick as possible, "I am sorry Aurora, about a minute is all the time that I have. I have to get ready for a meeting."

I stand next to Echo as Aurora continues, "I just want to thank you for helping my family out. I know it wasn't easy. Bellamy though, I just don't know what to do with him. He is always so angry. He isn't the little boy I raised anymore and I know I put a lot on him growing up. You should know that I visited him last night. I didn't wake him up. He was talking in his sleep. Clarke, you and Lexa should be careful, I am afraid that he might do something."

Just as she is about to say something else, the curtain leading into the bathroom moves. Lok and Echo notice it as well, but Aurora does not. Lok freezes about six feet from us, noticing the pistol that is already in Bellamy's hands. He raises hand and points the gun at Echo and I, but I know it will be me that gets hit first.

I hear three things at one time, a war cry coming from Lok, a strangled "Bellamy'' coming out of Aurora, and a bang of a gun going off, as Lok slams into Bellamy, knocking Echo and I to the floor. We both hit the floor hard. Before I can untangle myself from Echo and Lok, two more shots go off in quick succession, Lok whispering "I am sorry"

I feel Lok being tossed off of us as the door slams open as I finally stand in front of Echo, a scream of anguish coming from the door. I manage to kick Bellamy's feet out from under him, but he keeps the gun pointed at me. Octavia and Lincoln rush in, Lincoln grabbing Bellamy's hand and twisting the gun out of it. The gun skids across the floor as Octavia kicks Bellamy in the balls.

I run over to the table grabbing my pack, and go over to Lok, as Octavia continues to pummel Bellamy, no one stopping her. "You do not have permission to die here, Lok." I say as I use Raven's popsicle on her. 

Lexa, and about ten guards enter the room, Indra and Anya with them. Lexa and Lincoln pull her off of Bellamy, Lexa telling her that he will pay. I look at the guards and say, "Help me get Lok to the bed and put Bellamy in a hole and watch him closely."

As two guards put Lok on the bed, four others take Bellamy into custody. Octavia continues to cry on Lincoln's shoulder. Lexa turns to me and asks, "What do you need?"

"Water, I need to flush her back so that I can get the bullets out." I say, pulling my knife out of its sheath, cutting the rest of Lok's armour and clothes off.

I don't know why she wore her light Armour today. The guards bring me a water skin, "Pour it over her wounds, and wait till I tell you to pour more." I tell him.

Echo comes over shining a flashlight over Lok's back. Lexa turns to Indra and says, "Bring a few more healers to help Clarke and call the council to the throne room. Make sure that Titus is there. I also want more guards on this floor. And, Indra, watch Titus."

Lincoln finally lets go of Octavia and gently picks up Aurora. They walk out of the room, Octavia crying as she follows him. I turn back to Lok and begin.

One of the guards comes over with a water skin and gently pours some of the contents on my hands and over Lok's back. The smell is strong and pungent. It will do.

He pours some more on my tweezers and scalpel and I make my first incision. Thank goodness it looks like the bullets didn't hit the spine. I can just barely see the bullet. Using my tweezers I latch on and gently tug it out.

I lay it on the table and make the next incision. As I am pulling it out, blood sprays me in the face. Reaching back into my bag, I pull out another popsicle, as more blood pools out of her back.

Two more healers walk in and rush to my side. One takes the waterskin and pours more water over Lok's back. The other wipes the blood and I feel around for a tear. It takes a minute, but there it is, a tiny nick in her liver. I pull out my needle, already threaded and close the whole on her liver.

As I take a deep breath, I start stitching up my incisions. When I am finished, the other healers pour more disinfectant over Lok's back. I am glad Lok didn't wake up while I completed my tasks. 

The other two healers wrap bandages around her back as I pull a syringe out of my bag. Echo glances at me and, I tell her, "This is a pain reliever. It will also help her sleep."

When I am finished Echo hugs me and says, "Thank you Clarke."

I glance around the room and notice Lexa is gone. I close my eyes and see her in the throne room, with the ambassadors and Raven. Opening my eyes, I turn to the healers and tell them to watch Lok. 

I walk into the bathroom, washing my hands and face. Ryder knocks on the door, and says, "Heda wanted me to inform you that the two flamekeepers just entered the throne room. They have information that pertains to Heda and Wanheda. They are waiting for you before they begin. Raven already gave them her evidence on the two natrona."

I nod and follow him out of the room.

Lexa's POV

A tear threatens to escape my eye as I watch Clarke trying to save Lok's life. The two healers I called rushed into the room and joined Clarke. I turn and walk out of the room, headed to the throne room.

Two guards open the door for me and I take my seat on my throne. The ambassadors all stand as one and bow. I nod and they retake their seats. 

Glancing around the room, I notice that some of them look angry, and others look concerned. "We are gathered here today because we have been betrayed. One of our own gave a skaikru boy a flaygon. The two of them conspired a coup. They had two targets, the first being Wanheda and the other me." I tell them.

I take a moment for them to let that sink in. Just as they are about to speak I raise my hand and there is silence. I turn to my guards at the door, "Bring in Raven kom Skaikru and the accused." I tell them.

Raven enters with her evidence, Anya by her side. The guards direct her to the right side of the room. Behind us the doors open and Titus enters with Indra and Gustus. I turn to Titus and say, "You have been accused. We will have witnesses bring forth their evidence and then you will have a chance to speak."

"Heda, I have done nothing wrong. This is an outrage, to place the flamekeeper in chains." He screams as Gustus kicks his legs out from under him, making him kneel.

I am about to have Raven start with her evidence when the door opens and in comes two members of the order of the flame and the nightbloods. Mora the eldest of the order, looks at me, bows and says, "I am sorry to interrupt, but Gaia and I bring evidence against the accused."

"Very well then, I will start with the incident that just happened. We were headed down the elevator to the training grounds. We had already uncovered a plot to assassinate Wanheda and I. Titus and Bellamy kom Skaikru planned it together, in which we have proof and witnesses. We set things in motion, to see if they would try and complete their treachery. We did not account for Titus to send the guards at Wanheda's door away."

I pause for a moment, taking a glance around the room. Twirling my dagger, I began again, "Aurora kom Skaikru entered Wanheda's room. The reason for this visit is unknown at this time. We were maybe one floor down when we heard the gunshots and returned. Upon entering Wanheda's room, Octavia was punching her brother, Aurora dead from a gunshot wound in the head. Wanheda was trying to save Whitloke's life. We are not sure if she has been successful, as I called this meeting immediately. We will now hear from Raven kom Skaikru. She also has evidence that you should all watch."

Raven bows to me as Anya sets up the tablet. "Mochof, Heda."

Raven turns to the ambassadors and says, "Most of my evidence is in the form of video tek. It is similar to the radio, which you have all seen in use. The video takes pictures and sound and saves them for later viewing. We knew that Bellamy was going to start something, so we set it up in his room and we waited." Raven starts the tablet and continues, "As you can see here, Bellamy is talking to the two guards at his door. He is handing them a sword and a dagger. We can not hear them because they are just outside of the room. However, they are here today to tell you what was said, but before that we should see the rest of the video. This part you will be able to see and hear."

As the video continues, the ambassadors grow even more angry, throwing glares at Titus. When the video finishes Raven turns to me and says, "This is the last of my evidence, Heda. I hope it helps, so that we can bring swift justice to the guilty."

I nod at her and she steps back, Anya at her side. I turn to the Ambassadors and say, "We will now hear testimony from the two guards, Mik and Jon kom Trikru, that Bellamy first spoke to."

Mik and Jon both bow to me and then to the ambassadors, before Jon speaks, "We were guarding the door as ordered from Heda, when Bellamy opened it to talk to us. He wanted us to pass a message to Titus. He gave us each a sword and dagger as payment for talking to Titus. We promised him we would tell Titus that he wished to see him. What we did not tell him is that we went to Heda first with this news. We offered the swords and daggers back to Heda, but she told us to keep them."

I turn to them and say, "That is not all, is it?"

Mik nods and as he speaks this time, "Titus came to Bellamy's room two times before today. We do not know what was said, as Titus closed the door. This morning, we were supposed to watch Wanheda's door, but Titus showed up and said we were needed with the nightbloods. He wanted us to guard them while Raven kom Skaikru taught them about Radio tek. We were on our way to the nightblood training room when we heard the shots and rushed back to Wanheda's room." 

I turn to them and say, "Mochof, Mik and Jon. You may take the rest of the day to train."

As they walk out the door, Clarke walks in. She took the time to wash up a bit but her armour is still covered in Lok's blood. She bows to me and the ambassadors. I nod to her and ask, "How is Lok doing?"

"Lok will take some time to recover. She sustained two bullet wounds in the lower back. One of them nicked the liver. I was able to remove the bullets and stop any blood loss. We will know more later, but I expect a full recovery. Aurora however, is another story. She died instantly. I am only glad that she didn't suffer the pain. She will be sorely missed."

I glance at the ambassadors, all nodding their heads in solemn silence. They had grown to like Aurora immensely. I turn towards the two members of the order of the flame next, "What evidence have you brought to us today?"

Gaia and Mora step forward, though it is Mora who speaks first, "Those of us in the Order never knew of the things that Titus has done. We might have never known, if it were not for Gaia. The council has decided, based on her findings and her work within the order that a change in flamekeeper is needed. The council decided that Gaia will replace him after his execution, unless Heda says otherwise. Though after Gaia presents her evidence I doubt Heda will follow another path."

The silence in the room is deafening as Mora finishes. I was never going to let Titus live after this, but as everyone knows, there has never been a flamekeepers execution. The only time a flamekeeper is replaced is after his or her death. After a few moments of letting this settle in I nod to Gaia and say, "You may begin your testimony Gaia of the order."

I remember Gaia as a child, before I came to Polis. She is just a year older than me and Indra wanted her to replace her someday, but that is not what Gaia wanted. I trust Clarke in this, when she said Gaia would be the next flamekeeper. 

"In my studies, I came across some scrolls that seemed to be misplaced. Upon further inspection, not only were they misplaced, but they had also been changed. With this kind of thing, there weren't many people I trusted. I guess growing up with war on many sides does that for a person. I took a chance though and brought them to Mora. She recognised the handwriting as Titus's." Gaia says.

I look up, pausing the twirling of my dagger and ask, "What did the scrolls pertain to and were there more?"

"The first scrolls pertained to the conclave. The more we dug into even more scrolls, there were mentions of Wanheda and Heda. First, I will talk about more recent treachery."

She pauses for a moment before she speaks again, "We found scrolls that were partially burned and whole parts marked out. After much work on them we found evidence of Titus meeting with Nia on numerous occasions. There were many mentions about a continued war and destroying the coalition before it even started. He was for sure that Heda had feelings for one Costia kom Trikru. He made it possible for Azgeda to enter the tower and take her. This he hoped would continue the war with Azgeda, stopping the Coalition from forming. He believed that keeping Heda from Polis would ensure that he stayed in control of her and Polis."

She walks over to the table, pouring herself a drink of water and continues, "The other scrolls we came across ones that pertained to the conclave and Becca Praimheda and her houmon Wanheda. Becca came from the sky and her houmon, Lissa, came from the ground. In the days right after Praimfaya they came together and tried to bring the people together. They were said to be to halves of the same spirit. They were on their way to making peace a reality, when they were betrayed by Lissa's father, Michael Wallace. He didn't want the two of them together. He tried to kill Becca with a flaygon, but Lissa jumped in front of the gun and instead she died. In his grief he had Becca burned at the stake and took the rest of his people into the mountain."

Gaia glances at Clarke and I before speaking again, "For over forty years now we have been taught slowly that love is not weakness and that commanders should be alone, but that is not what is true. Becca's last words to Titus's predecessor was to not let future commanders live a life alone. Love is strength and when a commander finds that strength in someone else it balances all that they do. There is more on that, that we either haven't found yet or that Titus destroyed."

I glance at Clarke, as Gaia takes another drink before finishing, "One of the last things Titus has done that we now know of is the changing of the Conclave. Becca left instructions on the proper way to hold a conclave, but Titus destroyed them and poisoned his predecessor, in order to change it in a way that would keep the flamekeeper in control. There were supposed to be three tests to determine future commanders. The first one determines one's wisdom. The second one determines one's compassion. The last one determines one's strength. This was to be a fight, but never was it ever supposed to be to the death. The remaining nightbloods would in turn be advisors, healers, generals, personal guards or even trained in the order. By my counts, we lost sixty-eight nightbloods through this treachery. We can never get back what we have lost, but we can make sure it never happens again."

Gaia steps back and I let all that Gaia has said filter through not only myself but all in attendance. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. I never knew his treachery had reached so far. 

I think back on my conclave and the brothers and sisters lost through deceit, at my hands. Finally I open my eyes, and speak calmly, even through my rage, "If there are no objections from the ambassadors or the order, I move to follow through with the orders decision in the punishment of one Titus kom Trikru. Through his death may Gaia rise to take his place. A ceremony in her honour will take place after the natrona Bellamy kom Skaikru receives his punishment of wamplei kom thauz kodon. We will wait for Bellamy's punishment until Lok is able to receive her justice as well. Are there any objections at this time?"

I wait a few minutes and no one speaks. Standing, I sheath my dagger and turn to the room, "Raven and Anya check on Octavia and Lincoln. Prepare a pyre. In the morning we will honour Aurora and send her into the next life. Everyone else will follow me to the top of the tower."

As we climb the steps of the tower, Titus dragged by Indra and Gustus, my thoughts are running wild in my mind. I never thought I would ever see the day that the flame extinguished. Suddenly Clarke is in my mind, calming my inner turmoil. I open the door at the top and all in attendance form a half circle around the flame. 

Indra and Gustus place Titus in front of the flame. I nod at them and they strip him of his robes. Through our bond I call Clarke to stand next to me, before I speak, "Titus you are stripped of all titles and honors. Titus kom Trikru is no more. You are no one. For years you have sought to control all of the clans through war. I think it fitting that your death is through fire, as you stole the life of the one who was before you. Fire cleanses the pain of the past, however this fire will only make you feel the pain of all of your victims. It will extinguish long before you meet your death, yet the pain will still be there. Do you have any last words?"

He looks at me and says, "I have served four commanders before you. I should have gotten rid of you sooner. Everything that I have ever done is for the people. Peace is an illusion, one that you will soon find out for yourself. The weakness of love will be your downfall. A commander should always be alone."

Clarke speaks, "The lack of love was your greatest weakness. Love is never a weakness. Love is strength." 

As Clarke finishes speaking, together as one we kick Titus in the chest, flinging him through the flame, extinguishing it as he flies off the tower in flames, screaming as he goes.

"It is finished." I say.

We take a moment before Mora strips Gaia of her robes, replacing them with the robes of the flamekeeper and handing her the key to the flame. I turn to Gaia and say, "May the flame burn long and steady as you serve it."

"My life to serve the flame and the ones who bear it." Gaia says bowing to us before she relights the flame.

I turn to everyone else and say, "This has been a long day. We have to check on Lok and Octavia, who lost her mom today. We will meet again in the morning."

There is a round of "Sha, Heda" as everyone dispenses from the room. Gaia and Mora leading the somber nightbloods. I lead Clarke back to her room as she checks on Lok. 

We find Echo laying on the bed next Lok, holding her hand as she sleeps. Echo sits up as Clarke changes Loks bandages. Clarke then inserts a needle near the bandages. "This will keep her pain level down enough to sleep as well as help prevent infection. When she wakes up in a few days I should be able to give her less strong medication but equally effective. In the morning I will give her one more shot and that should clear out most of any infection. For now we will leave you both to rest. Oh and Echo, let me know if there is any change at all."

Echo hugs Clarke and says, "Thank you Clarke, I will let you know."

Clarke and I leave the room and head next door, Gustus and Ryder at the door. We are silent as I help Clarke remove her armor and clothes, guiding her into the bathroom. She looks over at the counter, where her watch was, "Where is my dad's watch?" She asks.

I help her in the tub, gently washing her hair I reply, "Ryder was checking out the room and found it. Bellamy smashed it. We gave it to Raven, who assures me that she can fix it."

As I rinse her hair, I lean over kissing her cheek, "Aurora will be greatly missed, but there is nothing that we could have done to save her. The fault belongs with her son and Titus." I whisper in her ear.

She stays silent as I finish cleansing her body and drying her off. I know it will take a bit for her to process today's events. I gently lay her in bed before I move to take off my armour and clothes, washing my face free of my war paint and letting my hair down. 

I lay down in bed and pull her close as she places a kiss over my heart and says, "Ai hod yu in, Leksa kom Trikru, Heda kom ai tombon."

"Reshop, ai hodnes, tomorrow will be busy." I say as I kiss the top of her head and we drift off to sleep.

Lok's POV

There is a dull ache in my back as I try to open my heavy eyelids. There is movement on the other side of the bed and I hear Abby kom Skaikru's voice. I force eyes open and look over to where I hear the voices. Clarke and Lexa are on the other side watching Abby wave the wand of a sonogram over Echo's stomach. No one has noticed that I am awake yet, and then I see a little tiny blob on the screen and hear the thumping of a heart. Abby makes the screen area around the blob smaller as she continues to move her wand around and finally she stops and I hear two different sets of heartbeats.

I gasp at the sound of the music the thumping makes. Abby notices and smiles. Before I can speak, I am wracked by a coughing fit. Abby lays the wand down, as her and Clarke turn me around and help me to sit up a bit, the pain in my back is excruciating. When the coughing subsides, Clarke helps me drink some water and Abby goes back to the wand, making sure to take two pictures of the blobs.

When I am finished with my water I ask, "Was that two heartbeats? Does that mean that Echo is having twins?"

Abby smiles and says, "Yep, it seems like we have two babies coming in about six months."

Echo glances at me and then looks down at the floor. I reach over and take her hands in mine, gently place a kiss on them, "Echo, I know we are barely more than friends at this point, but know this, I am here for you and them, in any way that you need me to be."

Echo leans in and gives me a sweet soft kiss on the lips and says, "Let's see where this goes."

Lexa and Clarke come over and give Echo a hug. I turn to Lexa and ask, "What of Bellamy?"

Lexa swallows before speaking, "It has been a week since the attack. There was a trial for Titus, he was executed the same day. Aurora didn't make it. We sent her spirit on to the next life the day after the attack. However, we waited for you to execute Bellamy. If Abby and Clarke decide you are ready, then we can schedule that for tonight at dusk."

Abby looks at Clarke but it is Clarke that speaks, "If you feel that you are ready and you take it slow and easy, then it can happen tonight. Wamplei kom thauz konon."

I slowly stand up, "I can take it easy, but first I would like to see him. Can Lexa take me to where they are holding him?"

"If you are sure I will take you, but no stairs and when we are finished, we return for lunch and you rest till it is time." Lexa says.

I kiss Echo's cheek and Lexa and I walk out of the room towards the elevators. It takes way more time than it normally takes, but finally we are outside of the cells in the dungeon. Gustus opens the cell door and the three of us step in.

Bellamy rises from the floor and tries to lunge me, but the chains holding him to the wall hold him back. The stench of weeks old sweat permeates the room with the smell of fecal matter coming from a bucket in the corner of the room. "I killed you, you bitch." He screams at me.

Gustus moves Bellamy, wrapping his arm around his neck. I step forward, looking in his eyes before I bring my knee up, crashing it in his balls. As the tears sting his eyes I speak, "Your aim is not very good. I lived. Your mother did not. You had it all, the ear of Wanheda, a sister and mother that loved you. You also had a beautiful woman who has two babies on the way. Lincoln will take care of Octavia, while I step up and take care of the most amazing woman I have ever met and her babies. They are mine. Mine to love. Mine to support. Mine to Love. MINE! Through your selfishness and greed, you lost everything. I would tell you that I will see you in the next life, but you won't be there."

I turn around and walk out of the door, the others follow me. As soon as the door closes, I lean one side against the wall, just taking a moment to breath. We make our way back to the room where all eat lunch together, before everyone else leaves. I lay down in the bed, gently pulling Echo close, kissing the top of her cheek before closing my eyes for a nap.

It is just about dusk when we walk out of the tower, Echo by my side as we make our way to the arena. Lexa and Clarke stand at the top of the dias and the crowd goes silent with Lexa's raised hand.

Lexa looks out into the crowd as the guards bring out Bellamy. Before Lexa can speak Bellamy's gag falls down to his neck and he screams out into the crowd, "CLARKE GRIFFIN, O MIGHTY WANHEDA. I CHALLENGE YOU TO A FIGHT TO THE DEATH!"

I watch as Lexa closes her eyes and Clarke speaks, "I accept your challenge."

Lexa opens her eyes and speaks, "I will allow this challenge if those fighting choose no champions."

Clarke looks out into the crowd and says, "Ai laik Wanheda, non na throu daun gon ai."

"I will love watching you die, bitch. You took everything from me." Bellamy screams at Clarke. 

Lexa closes her eyes one more time briefly, before calling out to the crowd, "Very well then. It is a fight to the death. It begins at first light. Take the prisoner to his cell." 

I watch as Lexa turns around swiftly, her coat swishing behind her, as she heads back to the tower. The guards and Clarke follow behind. Tomorrow is going to be interesting. I hope with all of my heart that everything turns out alright, because none of us can lose Clarke, especially Lexa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know its been awhile, but I am back. I will never abandon a story. My tablet died and when I finally got a new one, I wasn't quite happy with what I wrote. 
> 
> When in doubt I tend to delete and start over. I am really happy with the way it turn out and I hope everyone else will be as well.
> 
> As always thanks for ai Lockie. You are always there supporting and encouraging. Ai hod yu in, feva en otaim. 
> 
> Kacie


	18. Chapter 18 "Rest brings balance"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A challenge has been issued from Bellamy and Clarke has answered. How will the fight end? Lexa takes the nightbloods on a trip. We have a flamekeeper ceremony as well as an initiation ceremony. Finally, we have a festival. Will it end on a good note, we will have to find out.

Chapter 18 "Rest brings balance"

Lexa's POV 

I am silent as I make my way back up to my room. I open my door, letting it slam behind me, as I stand behind my desk. Models and maps of previous battles littering the top. I take one glance at them and sweep my hands across the desk, scattering them across the floor.

As the door opens and closes with a soft click, I close my eyes. I feel her behind me as her arms wrap around me from the back, taking in her comfort for just a moment. Another situation that I can't help Clarke with. I am angry, so very angry, but it is not at Clarke, never at Clarke. I lean back into her as I sigh deeply.

Turning around in her arms, I pull her close to me, just breathing her in. I press my lips to hers, it is a sweet soft kiss. As I pull back, I look into her eyes and say, "Come my love. Let's go eat dinner and then we will rest."

I know she is not ready to talk about the dark emotions swirling in her eyes and I will not ever make her. She will talk to me when she is ready. I have no doubt about her ability to beat Bellamy, but any number of things can go wrong in a fight, especially one to the death. She nods her head and we head to the dining room. I am sure that her sisters will be there and they will want to discuss the matters at hand.

The dining room is full, all of Clarke's sisters and our friends, just as I knew it would be. As we take our seats all talk stops, the room going silent. As we all finish eating, the room has grown more tense by the moment. It is Raven that speaks first, "I wish I was a warrior and I could take your place." She says.

"No one can take my place. I have been challenged and it is my strength that is in question, in the eyes of the people." Clarke tells them.

"That does not mean that you can not receive intel before the fight." Octavia says.

Lincoln looks up and says, "Bellamy dislocated his shoulder in the mountain and then again in the attack in Clarke's room." 

"I have noticed he favours his right knee." Indra says.

"I am not sure how bad it was, but he hurt it during training on the Ark. Since then it has bothered him; though he tries to keep that hidden from others." Octavia says.

They are all trying to help Clarke, but I can see the anguish in her eyes. This is one of the hardest kills she has had to make in either timeline. She has to kill someone who is like a brother to her, even though he is not who people believed he was. 

It is still a difficult thing. It is probably just as difficult for the others as it is Clarke, especially Octavia. I turn to Octavia and ask, "How are you doing? I know this has to be hard on you."

Octavia closes her eyes for a moment and when she opens them she says, "It is hard, but he will never change or give up. I have now watched my mother die two times, because of his actions. Many others will be hurt or lose their lives if he stays alive. I will never allow that to happen. The massacre in the last timeline still haunts me to this day. If I am also being completely honest, I wish I could be the one to put him down. I owe it to my mother, but he had made it to where I can't even do that."

Octavia's words have me thinking. I look at Clarke and I can tell she is thinking the same thing that I am. I won't tell Octavia what we are thinking, because I won't get her hopes up if things go differently than we hope. 

I know Clarke will defeat him, for I have seen them both fight. The question that lingers in my mind is how Bellamy's cowardly ways will affect the fight. How badly will Clarke be injured. I am not naive enough to think that she will come out of it unscathed. I hate to think of her hurt, but know that her spirit will stay where it is.

I decide that it is time for us to take our leave. I turn back to Octavia, knowing that I have to say something, anything at all, just something. "All of us have a demon inside of us and we are all responsible for the consequences when we let it out. Sometimes a person can be brought back from that, sometimes not. Everyone here has dealt with that demon and come out of that darkness. Bellamy has not and never will. He is too far gone. He has been for a long time. I wish that you could be the one to kill his demon, in order to bring him peace and justice for your mother at the same time. However, circumstances prevent that from happening. For that I am deeply sorry." I tell her.

Octavia pushes herself up from the table and flings herself into my arms. "There is nothing you can do to change this, but thank you, Lexa. Thank you for wanting to, for me." She says.

Not many people have ever hugged me before, because I am Heda. I am glad Octavia feels safe enough to do so, at least in the present company. She finally pulls away and we all say our goodnights, before Clarke and I head to our room.

I find myself quite enjoying calling it our room. Clarke is still silent as we remove our armour and clothes. Gently taking her hand I guide her to the bathroom, taking a rag and dipping it into the tub that the handmaidens filled earlier. 

I took the rag and gently removed our warpaint. When I finished with the warpaint, we took each other's braids out. I help her into the tub in front of me. It doesn't take long for us to bathe, but we lay in comfortable silence until the water starts to cool. We both step out of the tub, drying quickly before we make our way to the bed.

She lays down and I pull her close and after a while she pulls back just slightly. Finally, after a few moments, she says, "I never meant for things to turn out like this."

"It will be fine, ai hodnes. I know you will win tomorrow. Just watch out for any surprises that he might throw your way." I tell her.

"I am not worried about him winning. I am more worried about Octavia and her not receiving the closure that she needs." Clarke says.

"There is a way for that to happen and you still win." I say quietly.

"I know. I remember your fight with Roan, but there might not be an opportunity to do the same here." Clarke says.

"There will probably be an opportunity, but you will have to have already struck a mortal blow. If you do it any sooner, there may be some that still question your strength. It won't be many, but we both know how one person can spread fear and rumors like wildfire." I tell her.

"I hate this. I hate having to kill someone I care about, even if there is no other way." Clarke says.

I pull her hand to my lips and say, "I know you do, but it has to be done. If I could take this burden for you, I would."

Clarke leans in, placing her hand on my cheek, gently pressing her lips to mine and says, "I know you would. I also know you are still worried about tomorrow, but you should know one thing. There is nothing that will stop me from having a long life with you. We didn't get our someday last time and this time I will make sure that we do. Ai hod yu in, Lexa kom Trikru, feva en otaim."

I pull her in even closer, pressing my lips to her pulse point and say, "I love you Klark. I wish I had been able to say it in the past."

"I knew, I always knew. You showed it in many ways and that meant more than the words themselves." Clarke tells me.

"Reshop ai hodnes. Tomorrow will be a long day." I say giving her pulse one more kiss.

"Reshop, heda laik ai tombon." She whispers.

Her breaths slowly even out and I know she is asleep. However, for me, sleep never comes. Hours later, I watch the first rays of sunlight filter through the room from the balcony. Though I hate to wake Clarke up, I lean over and place a kiss on her cheek, and her eyes just begin to flutter open.

She places a kiss over my heart, stands up and starts getting dressed. I watch her for a moment, but before my thoughts can be stampeded on with images that I refuse to see happen, I join her. We help each other with our warpaint and braids and when we finish she pulls me into her arms. 

The kiss is gentle at first, probably meant to be just a quick peck, but Clarke's eyes flash a golden shade, just for a moment and her tongue is pressing against my lips. When I grant her access, she is relentless, stealing every breath from my lungs. She pulls back, gently nipping my bottom lip as she goes. 

I rest my chin on her shoulder, just taking a moment to catch my breath, before I finally ask, "What was that for?"

She pulls back stepping around me as she grabs her swords and daggers. As she finishes sliding them home she turns to me and says, "That is a reminder. A reminder that our someday isn't here yet and I am going to make damn sure that we get it."

I take her hand as we walk out of the room and as we are walking I say, "Just keep your spirit where it is, that's all I ask."

Forgoing breakfast we make our way down the tower and to the fighting pit. Everyone is already gathered, I place a kiss on Clarke's cheek and make my way to my throne. Bellamy is choosing his weapon as Clarke pulls out her swords, taking just a moment to stretch out her wrists. 

Gaia steps up beside the throne and calls out to the crowd. "We are gathered here today, because a challenge was issued and has been answered. In solo gonplei there is only one rule, one must die. Let the fight begin"

The crowd erupts into chanting, spears tapping the ground. 'Wanheda' and 'jus drein jus daun' can be heard all through Polis. I know it will bring Clarke the strength that she needs in order to do what she has to do. 

Upon hearing the chanting, Bellamy screams, "You took everything from me. I should have been the leader from the beginning."

"You were never a leader. You made messes that I had to clean up. Throwing tantrums and starting wars does not make someone a leader." Clarke yells back at him.

Bellamy rushes Clarke screaming, "Privileged princess always wanting her way."

Clarke brings up her swords and as they clash together sparks fly. His strength pushes her back a few feet, but she uses that as a chance to sweep his legs out from under him. He is quick to roll to the side, hopping up on his feet. "Oh yeah, if you mean growing up in near isolation, then Wells and I were privileged. The only person who understands how that actually is, is Octavia." She says as she brings her right sword up.

He barely has a chance to block it but, her left sword makes first blood, barely slicing into his neck. He uses his elbow and rams it into her stomach. As she takes half a second to try and catch her breath, Bellamy takes that chance to bring his left hand up, punching her in the face.

I feel her pain through the flame, but I also feel her strength. She swings her left sword upwards, stopping just short of his neck, while at the same time she slices down at the top of his wrist with her right sword. He drops his sword, crying out in pain. Clarke is on him in a heartbeat, ramming her right sword, hilt first into his face. 

Twisting her body around, she kicks his right knee from behind, a loud pop amplifying through the pit as he hits the ground. He lands on his shoulder as an agonizing scream escapes his lips. Clarke straddles him, relentlessly raining punches down on his face. 

After a minute, she slows down, just a bit and says "Causing chaos by telling a bunch of kids that there are no rules to follow and they can do 'Whatever the hell they want' is not leading. Killing a peacekeeping force, sent to protect your people is not leading and even in that you were a coward, coming up behind them while they were sleeping. You, Bellamy Blake, were never a leader. I should have killed you so long ago. You were never made for this world."

I feel her pain, with every blow that she lands. Finally she stands up and walks a few feet away, staring at the crowd for a moment, just catching her breath. She is about to speak, when I see Bellamy's hand reach into his armour, taking out a dagger. Anger explodes through my body as my grip on my throne tightens. I know Clarke feels my emotions through the flame as she ducks down, turning her body completely around, releasing a dagger at the same time as Bellamy does. 

I stare at her, her eyes glowing an angry shade of red, Bellamy's dagger glancing off her right shoulder, bouncing off and hitting hilt first to the side of her head, with black blood flowing down her face. She calmly walks back over to Bellamy, slamming her right boot onto his chest, eyes still glowing, she glances down at her dagger, embedded into his side, a mortal wound that no one could recover from.

She looks up in my eyes before turning her head to the crowd, and says, "Bellamy kom Skaikru has lost his fight, but there is one among us who deserves justice more than I do. Octavia kom Trikru en Skaikru, the kill is yours, justice for your mother, Aurora Blake kom Skaikru."

Octavia steps into the pit and as she stands over her brother, nods at Clarke, as Clarke takes one step back. Looking down at her brother Octavia says, "I take no pleasure in your death, Bellamy, but you killed our mother twice. I will not let you kill anyone else that I care for. Yu gonplei ste odon, big brother."

Octavia takes Clarke's dagger out of Bellamy's side and slides it across his neck. She cleans it off on his armour and hands it back to Clarke. As Clarke places it back into her sheath, I notice her swaying just a bit, time to wrap this up.

Looking out into the crowd, I raise my hand and the people turn silent, so that I can speak. "It is finished, justice has been served." I tell them.

The crowd erupts into cheers of 'Wanheda and Heda'. I turn to Gustus and before I can say anything, he beats me too it, "Heda your eyes are glowing like Wanheda's."

"Good, let everyone see that we share the same spirit." I know my people, seeing this will have my people supporting a union between Clarke and I, when that time comes. However, now is not the time.

Clarke appears to be fine, as she walks back to the tower with Octavia, but I know better. I can see how she is just a bit wobbly on her feet. I turn back to Gustus and say, "Prepare the body for transport to Luna and let Luna know that it is time for her people to join us, before the radiation can affect them. Raven will need their help as well."

"Sha, Heda." He says as he turns to leave.

I swiftly make my way to the tower, catching up with Clarke and Octavia quickly. The glow in her eyes is fading. As we make it inside of the elevator she collapses and I am just barely able to catch her. I lift her in my arms, just as the elevator doors open. Octavia takes the lead as I carry her down the hall, Indra following. Octavia opens the doors and I lay her down on the bed. Octavia asks, "Will she be ok? Do I need to bring a healer?"

I brush her blonde hair from her face before reaching over to a bowl of warm water, on the bedside table and dipping a rag in it. "No, the cut is not very deep. It just needs cleaning and she needs some rest." I tell Octavia.

Indra comes over with Clarke's med bag, opening it and pulling out a bandage and some salve. As I clean Clarke's head and face, I notice that though the cut isn't deep, it is long. The hilt of the dagger having only slightly cut into her skin, just to the front of her ear. A small walnut sized lump has formed around the cut. The blade sliced down at an angle from the top of her left cheek all the way down to her chin. It is not deep at all, as well, barely more than a scratch. The same with the right side of her neck. 

Both wounds might scar a bit, but the scars will fade over time. I apply the salve on them both, before bandaging them. As I finish, Clarke starts to wake up. Her eyes open and a groan escapes her lips. I bring her fingers up to my lips, gently kissing them. "How long was I out?" She asks.

"Maybe about twenty minutes. You should probably rest some more." I tell her.

"I can rest after I eat. I feel like I haven't eaten in a week." She says.

Indra looks at her and says, "You and Lexa both are the most hard headed people I know. I will have food brought to the dining room. The others will probably want to hear from you as well."

Indra leaves the room, Octavia taking one last look at Clarke before following her. It isn't long before Abby is let into the room by the guards at the door. Abby rushes to the other side of the bed, taking Clarke's head into her hands. "Who bandaged her wounds?" She asks.

"I did. I cleaned them and put salve on them first. They were not deep, there will be minimal scarring. She has a small lump just above her ear and to the right." I tell Abby. 

Abby looks me in the eyes and says, "You did a good job. She should probably rest a few days while we watch for signs of a concussion, but knowing her, she will get right back to work."

"I am no fisa, but I have had to patch a few people up a time or two. We will have lunch and then I will see that she rests some before the flamekeepers ceremony." I tell Abby.

"I am right here." Clarke says.

Abby laughs and says, "I can see that she will be just fine. I will meet you both in the dining room."

She kisses the top of Clarke's head, squeezes my hand and walks out of the room. Clarke takes my hand and says, "Help me up. I want to take my armour off before we eat."

I help her stand as I start unbuckling her armour. After her armour is removed and laid across the table, her standing in a pair of leather pants and a thin light blue shirt, I pull her close. I kiss the top of her head, pull back and take her by the hand, leading her to the dining room. Everyone is already seated, but have yet to eat, waiting on us.

I help Clarke sit down next to me, never letting go of her hand as we start eating. We are about halfway through eating when Lok asks, "I am not sure what happened towards the end of the fight, but just before Bellamy threw his dagger, Clarke's eyes glowed like an angry fire. When the fight was over, Lexa's eyes were glowing the same shade. How is that possible?"

I glance at Clarke and she nods. "You know that there are two flames. Clarke and I both carry a flame inside of us. We can talk to each other through the flames. We can also carry out each other's actions as well. This was Clarke's fight, all I did was send her my emotions. I was angry at Bellamy. It made Clarke realize that Bellamy's fight wasn't over and he was going to attack her from behind. My anger became her anger." I tell them, even though most at the table have seen some or all of our abilities.

"From what I have seen, they can talk to each other, talk through each other, send each other strength when the other's strength is depleted and much much more." Octavia says.

Raven looks at Lok and says, "I can read the data from the flames, but still do not understand it all. However, I think that there is so much yet undiscovered about the flames."

We talk for a while longer before I notice Clarke's eyes drooping and I make a decision. "Indra, I need you to take a message to the ambassadors and to Gaia."

"Sha, Lexa. What message should I send?" Indra asks.

I squeeze Clarke's hand and say, "Tell Gaia and the ambassadors that the flamekeeper ceremony is to be postponed. Gaia is to gather the nightbloods for a trip. It is time that we honour the fallen nightbloods that died through Titus's treachery. Upon returning, in nine days, we will have the ceremony and a week-long festival for the people. It will honour the coalition and Skaikru's entrance into the coalition as well."

"When will we leave?" Indra asks.

"Everyone should pack and be ready to leave at first light." I tell everyone. 

With that being taken care of, I take Clarke by the hand and we head back to our room. I gently lay her on the bed and as soon as she lays her head on the pillow, she is asleep. I watch her as she sleeps, knowing that if I had not thought of this trip, that she would move onto the next issue that we will face and never get the rest that she needs.

Clarke wakes up a few hours later. "I am feeling much better. My head still hurts, but I have had worse." She tells me.

I kiss the top of her head and say, "I am glad, ai hodnes."

She sits up carefully and walks over to the table. After taking a drink of water she says, "Now tell me about your plans, because I know it isn't just about the nightbloods."

I knew she would be asking about why I changed the schedule around a bit. I walk up behind her, wrapping my arms around her. "I thought that some time away from responsibilities was needed. Not just for you and me but for our family. The nightbloods have never seen the falls. It's time that they did. After a few days there, in which your family will stay, there is a place not too far from the falls, that I would like to show you and the nightbloods. Only Gustus, Ryder and Indra, will be joining us there." I tell her.

"Do we really have time to spend over two weeks away from our responsibilities?" She asks while playing with my fingers at her waist.

"We are a bit ahead of the last timeline, so I would say yes. Even if we weren't, I think it is needed, for all. I already sent a message with Bellamy's body to Floukru. Luna will be bringing her people here, since that is the first place the radiation will hit." I tell her.

"There is nothing I can do to change your mind about how long we will be gone, is there?" She asks me.

"Nope, I also want to spend time with you and the nightbloods. You have really only met Aden, and of course Madi." I tell her.

"Fine, but on the way, I need to send Miller to find Emori and Kane to find Murphy. I haven't heard from them in a while. Emori is supposed to be working on a bunker that is big enough to hold the majority of the people. Murphy was supposed to find Jaha and see what he was doing. I don't like the lack of contact." She tells me.

"I don't like that either. I will send some warriors to Arcadia to pick up Miller and Kane. They can help them find them, hopefully by the time we come back here." I tell her.

We talk a bit more before dinner is brought to the room. After we eat, we pack up what we will need for the trip and go to bed early, Clarke still needing some more rest.

Aden's POV

We are about halfway to Ton Dc. I remember the trip through, when I was six. I look up at Heda and Wanheda, they are riding in front. I always believed that Heda always rides alone, but here Wanheda is riding with her. I have never seen her so happy. Deep in her eyes, you can still see the sadness. I wasn't in Polis long when Heda's childhood friend Costia was taken by Azgeda. 

Looking at her now, I am glad she has Wanheda with her. I don't know what else has brought pain into her life, but I see the same thing when I am watching Wanheda. It is just a twinge and nothing more, but I have a feeling that at one time it was deep pain, for both of them. However, I don't see much pain in their eyes now, just tiny pieces of past pain. Now, all I see is happiness from both of them. 

I see Wanheda's eyes drooping and it is not long before she is asleep, Heda's arm tightening around Wanheda's waist, just a bit, almost like she is afraid of her falling. I look over to my fellow nightbloods, one in particular and know I want the same with her. Until now, I didn't think that was possible. Titus taught us many things, and now I do not know what was true and what was a lie. I should talk to Heda about it. Maybe later after everyone is asleep.

I do not know how long we have been riding, but finally we arrived. Heda leans over and whispers something in Wanheda's ear, before kissing the top of her head. Heda helps her down from her horse. We all dismount as well following Heda into the caves that are in front of us. There is barely enough room for a horse to fit through. We come to an open cavern, just big enough to fit all of our horses. Gustus and Ryder lay out some hay for the horses and we all gather our packs, following Heda as the tunnels narrow. 

Lincoln helps Indra start a fire. Heda turns to us and says, "Grab a tent, there will be two of you in each tent. Gaia will share with Madi." 

When the fire is finished, Lincoln lays a blanket on the ground and Heda has Wanheda sit down as she sets up her own tent, a bit farther away from the rest of us. Octavia sets up a tent for her and Lincoln, while Anya sets one up for her and Raven, before they move on to another one for Gustus, Ryder and Indra. Ginny and I set up a tent for the two of us before we help our brothers and sisters with theirs. Before long Ryder and Gustus return with a boar and we are cooking it over the fire with vegetables that were brought with us from Polis.

As we are finishing our dinner Heda starts to speak, telling us about the challenges everyone will be facing soon. She tells us about two different flames, one from the ground and one from the sky. The spirit of the flame is actually half of one spirit and together they become one. When she is finished with her story I have many questions, as I am sure my brothers and sisters do as well.

"Heda." I go to speak but Heda stops me.

She places a hand on my shoulder and says, "Aden, here and in private you will no longer refer to me as Heda nor will you call Clarke Wanheda. We are simply Clarke and Lexa to our families, and this includes all of your brothers and sisters."

I shake my head and start again, "He, um Lexa, if there is going to be another Praimfaya, how will we all survive?"

"That is where Skaikru comes in. It will take all of OUR people to save as many as we can. Skaikru has been working on finding safe places as well as other ways do help, even from up in the sky. After the flamekeeper ceremony and the ceremony we will have as we make Skaikru the thirteenth clan, we will enjoy a week-long festival. Then we will get to work." Lexa tells us all. 

Ginny glances at me before she asks, "If Praimfaya is coming, why would we not begin to work on fixing it now?"

Clarke answers for Lexa this time, "A good leader knows when it is time for rest. Lately there has not been time for much of that. Our bodies and our hearts will always need to take time to heal. This time might not heal all wounds completely, but it will start the healing process. Everyone here has been through so much recently and we need to take the time to process all of that."

Madi turns to Clarke, smiles and says, "Life is about more than just surviving."

After a few moments, Lexa says, "Tomorrow, Anya Lincoln, Octavia and Raven will stay here, enjoying the falls. The rest of us will pack back our things. We will be back here at some point in the future, so we will leave our tents. For the next week we will be elsewhere, a place none of you have been, another place that only commanders have seen. For now head to your tents and get some rest."

As we head to our tents, Clarke and Lexa tell the others good night. I crawl into my furs as Ginny does the same on the other side of the tent, part of me wishing she was a bit closer. She turns on her side, facing me, her fire red hair falling down over her eyes. She brushes it out of the way and I wish it was my hand moving it. I can barely see her eyes in the darkness, but I know how bright they shine, even in my sleep.

"Aden, are you awake?" She asks. 

"Sha, Ginny, I am awake." I tell her.

"What did you think about what Madi said earlier?"

"I think that it is the exact opposite of what Titus taught us. Then again there is much that he taught us that is lies. It leaves me confused on many things." I tell her.

After a few minutes she says, "I think Gaia is very different from Titus. I am looking forward to having her as seda."

"I think I am as well." I tell her.

It is not long before I hear light snoring from her direction. Sleep however, is proving difficult for me tonight. After what seems like hours, I step out of the tent. Everyone else has moved to their tents. I am just about to sit down at the water's edge, when I hear Lexa scream out, from inside her tent. Reaching for my sword, I am glad I grabbed it before leaving my tent, I make my way into Lexa's tent. 

Glancing at the bed, I see Clarke's naked back as she leans over Lexa kissing her as Lexa is holding on tightly, moans and gasps coming from both of them. Oh spirit, Lexa also has no clothes on. I feel my face and neck flush as I drop my sword, "I am sorry." I mumble, racing out of the tent. 

I hear laughter from the tent as I make it to the water's edge again, bending down to splash water on my face, hoping to cool it off. After a few moments, I just sit there, staring across the water. I hear the tent flaps rustling and before I know it, Lexa is sitting next to me. 

We sit in silence for a moment, neither of us saying anything. Finally, Lexa says, "I am not mad at you. I want all of you to be able to talk to me or Clarke, anytime, day or night. Though I bet what you saw tonight left you a bit confused."

"I am not confused about what was happening. Though from the outside I thought you were being hurt. It is Titus's teaching that confuses me." I tell her.

"It took me many years of questioning myself, as well as his teachings, to realize that what he taught about feelings was false. Though I didn't know about his other treachery till Gaia brought proof. It is safe to say that most or everything he taught was false. Gaia will guide us not only to the future but she will also teach us what was lost. She will be using the scrolls of the order to make sure that what we are taught is the truth. Unfortunately, that can not happen much until we save our people." She tells me.

"Lexa, may I ask you something?" I ask her.

"You and your brothers and sisters can always ask me anything." She tells me.

"Did you love Costia?" I ask her.

"In this timeline I did not. She was my closest friend growing up. We shared one kiss before I started having dreams of the previous timeline. It still hurt when she died in both timelines." She tells me.

I think for a moment before asking her, "Do you love Clarke?"

"I do, very much so. We are meant to be together, two halves of a whole. She is my equal in every way. Do you want to know a secret?" She says as she places her hand on my shoulder.

After a moment, I say, "If you want to share it, I would be honoured to keep it safe for you."

She smiles as she says, "One day, using not only Trikru but also Skaikru culture, I plan on asking her to become my houmon. I want nothing more than for all of my people, including you and your brothers and sisters to find someone that brings you as much happiness as she does to me. Life is about more than just surviving. Everyone also deserves to be happy." 

After a few more moments we both stand, "Thank you Lexa." I tell her as I turn to walk back to my tent.

She stops me, turns me around, kisses the top of my head and says, "Anytime, Aden. I am always here for all of you."

She turns and makes her way back to her tent. I do the same. As soon as I am under the furs, sleep takes no time at all.

In the morning, we eat breakfast and it isn't long before we are on our way. We come to another set of tunnels about a mile away from the ones that lead to the falls. Around lunch time, we stop in another cavern, where Lexa tells us to make our beds. It seems we would all be sleeping in the same room and not outside. After we ate a lunch of dried meat and bread, we followed Lexa outside, Ryder and Gustus leaving again to hunt.

There are eight other nightbloods besides myself. Ginny being the oldest at fourteen, is from Trikru. She is a year older than I am. The twins, both girls, Sita and Nara, from the desert clan, are twelve with dark hair and chocolate brown eyes. There is Lara and Jared, one is eleven and the other is twelve both from the lake clan. They both have dark blonde hair and light brown eyes. Garret, nine years old with his light blue eyes and light brown hair, is from the Delphi clan. Kara, being eight, with her green eyes and sandy blonde hair is from the glowing forest. 

Then there is Madi. She is six years old and has been following me around since she came to Polis. She looks so much like if Clarke and Lexa had a child, with her blue eyes almost the same shade as Clarkes and her hair is maybe a shade lighter than Lexa's. She also acts like them. She will grow up strong, I can already see it in her.

I have been thinking a lot about how things have changed. I always thought I would have to fight and kill at least some of them. Now I find out that it is not what is going to have to happen. It is a big relief. Then I look over at Lexa, knowing that she had to kill her brothers and sisters. Now I understand a bit about the pain she carries in her eyes. Maybe the pain that I see in Clarke's eyes is the same. She has had to kill people that she cared about as well.

Looking around I see that Indra has made a fire. I am just noticing the canyon beyond us. If I look towards the east I can see pretty much all of Trikru territory. If I look towards the north, I see the Azgedian border. 

I don't get much time to look much more because Lexa is calling us all together. Lexa nods at Gaia, who turns to us and says, "As you all know, things in this timeline have changed. What you do not know is that in the past, Titus killed Lexa. He was trying to kill Clarke at the time. With Lexa's death, chaos reigned. Nia had a nightblood that should have been in Lexa's conclave, but she was hidden. She attacked all of you in your sleep and insisted that Titus give her the flame. Titus knew he could not give Ontari the flame. She would have destroyed all. He secretly gave the flame to Clarke. Clarke protected it as long as she could, before giving it to me. At the time, there weren't any nightbloods that we knew about."

Gaia takes a deep breath, and starts again, "In the midst of the chaos, Clarke killed Ontari. She and her people brought us news of a second Praimfaya. With the clans in chaos, we came up with a new conclave. It would have put in place a new leader, their clan would be saved and all others would perish. Octavia won that conclave, but she chose to follow Lincoln's and Lexa's plan for peace. She allowed a hundred from each clan to be saved. There was just not enough room in the bunker to save all of the people."

Gaia takes another breath, "Clarke and a few of her friends decided to go to space to ride out the five years of radiation. However, there was an issue and one had to stay behind. Clarke, having been given nightblood, decided that it would be her. A nightblood is able to survive any form of radiation. It was then that she found Madi, the last two people alive on the outside. Later when the bunker was opened, the people found out that Madi was a nightblood. We made her the new commander. She survived two wars, before her death." 

Gaia takes a deep breath before she continues, "Later Skaikru found a message from Becca Praimheda. She left plans to fix the past. Skaikru and the rest of the people, along with some friends set out to do just that. It has not been an easy journey and it is not over. We have gotten rid of many obstacles that have been in our path and there may be a few left. This will not deter us from our mission. Now we stop the power plants from destroying the earth. Then we can work on a lasting peace for all of us."

When Gaia is finished, we sit there for a while, just thinking about all that has been said. After a while, Lexa says, "I know this is a lot to process and it will take time. We are all here for any questions you may have. However, this week is not about worrying about the past or the future. This week is about healing. As leaders and leaders in training, we have to find balance. Balance gives us different perspectives that will serve our people better. This week there will be no training. You will spend time with us and your brothers and sisters. Before dinner arrives, I want you all to look out on the canyon below us and meditate."

"Sha, Lexa." Everyone says as we all comply.

The week passes by quickly and before I know it, I am back in the room I share with my brothers and sisters, getting ready for the ceremony. 

Clarke's POV

I don't know how Lexa does it. She always seems to know what everyone needs. The week spent at the canyon gave me more rest and peace of mind than I have ever known. Though there was that little incident the night before we went to the canyon. I can't believe that Aden saw us. His face was bright red, but so was mine and not just because of the activities Lexa and I were enjoying. I would definitely enjoy more time spent with Lexa, enjoying the same activities, but I am just as happy cuddling with her and talking.

Dad and Kane have joined us in Polis for the Kongeda ceremony. Marcus will become the new ambassador for Skaikru. Sinclair is leading Arcadia in dad's absence. They will both be taking the brand, though part of me wishes that I was taking it. I take the elevator down to exit the tower. The ceremony is taking place outside this time.

As I join the dad and Kane at the foot of the platform at the edge of the fighting pits, I glance up at Lexa on her throne. She is wearing the same dress as she did the last time and my breath catches in the same way as it did then. Our eyes lock for just a moment and she smiles. Dad stands next to me and says, "You look beautiful kiddo."

"Thanks dad." I tell him as he and Kane both kiss my cheek before turning back to the front of us.

Gaia walks up behind me with Mora, leading the nightbloods. Gaia squeezes my hand and Aden winks at me as the music starts. The anthem of the clans. 'Will you take a life with me?'

Gaia leads the nightbloods and Mora up to the platform. They stand in front of Lexa for a moment, before they all kneel as one, except for Gaia. Lexa nods at them and they take positions behind her throne. 

Lexa stands and moves in front of Gaia and says for all to hear, "Gaia kom Trikru, you have already done the people a great service in finding out about the truth. I have one question to ask you."

"Sha, Heda." Gaia says.

"Gaia kom Trikru, will you take on the duties of Flamekeeper, pledging your life in service of the flame, the bearer of the flame, the nightbloods and all the people that the flame serves." Lexa asks.

"Sha, Heda. My life in service to the flame, the bearer of the flame, the nightbloods and all the people that the flame serves." Gaia says as she kneels, bowing her head so it touches the floor. 

After a moment Lexa says, "Rise, Gaia kom Trikru and be reborn."

Mora walks over with a bowl covered in a white cloth, just as Gaia stands up. Lexa hands Gaia her dagger, and Gaia slices her palm, red blood dripping as she squeezes her hand over the bowl. She hands Lexa back her dagger and Lexa slices her palm, before holding a fist over the bowl, black blood dripping into it.

Mora places the cloth back over the bowl and hands it to Gaia. Lexa turns to the crowd and says, "It is finished. We have a new Flamekeeper, long may her service to the people be."

Lexa walks back to her throne, Gaia standing next to it on her right side. Lexa does not sit though. She turns back to the crowd and says, "Months ago people from the skai came down to join us on the ground. They helped us defeat our greatest enemy, yet they didn't stop there. They helped us defeat other enemies, from within and from without the kongeda. They have more than earned a spot within the clans. We now invite them to join us, making all of us one. Does Skaikru accept this honor?"

Dad and Kane make their way up to the platform as I follow behind them. They both step up within a few feet of Lexa and kneel before her, Dad saying "Sha, Heda. Skaikru humbly accepts your invitation to join the Kongeda."

I step up beside them and just as I am about to kneel, Lexa places a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. "Klark kom Skaikru, Wanheda, destroyer of the mountain and lid ina kom chilnes. You bow to no one. It is everyone that should bow to you." She says as she takes to her knees, bowing before me.

I glance around, everyone on the platform bowing before me, as well as all of Polis. I am overcome with emotion, not quite sure what all of this means. Before I am too overwhelmed with anxiety, I look into Lexa's eyes and take her hand, gently pulling her up. I face the crowd and say, "You all honor me, but I am just one person that fights beside Heda. I am not her superior. If I am anything I am her equal. Together we will fight for all of our people."

Lexa nods at me, affirming that this was her intention, before turning back to the crowd and speaking, "So it shall be, Wanheda shall forever be known as my equal, sharing our strength in service to all. Let us continue the initiation."

She turns back to dad and Kane and says, "You may rise."

As everyone rises, Lexa turns to Gaia and nods. Gaia places the brand into the fire next to Lexa's throne. Lexa turns back to dad and Kane and says, "Jacob Griffin, heda kom Skaikru, do you wish to join the kongeda, becoming one with the clans, helping to serve and protect us all." 

Dad glances at me one more time and says, "Skaikru accepts the invitation into the kongeda, our lives to protect and serve all as one."

Lexa hands him her dagger and they repeat the same process that Gaia went through, Lexa naming Kane ambassador for Skaikru. "Do you Jacob Griffin, heda kom Skaikru and Marcus Kane, ambassador of Skaikru take this mark, symbolizing your oath to the kongeda." Lexa asks them.

"Sha, Heda. It is our honour." Dad and Kane reply at the same time.

Gaia steps over to us, brand in her hand, red hot as she presses it gently into each of their forearms before placing it in a bucket of water to the side. Lexa then turns to the crowd and says, "It is finished. We now have a new member in the kongeda. Let the festival commemorating this occasion begin."

Loud cheers ring out all of Polis, as we make our way to a table to start tonight's feast. Tonight is a feast, a feast starts a week worth of games and shows. The booths will be set up in the morning with many traders selling their wares, from crafts to weapons, from food to drink. Gaia and Indra talked about previous festivals between the clans that Skaikru missed out on because there was always war between them and the clans. I am glad that this is no longer the case, but I still have to talk to Lexa about her actions during the ceremony. That conversation will have to wait till we are back in the privacy of Lexa's room.

Looking across the table, I see all sorts of different types of food, food that I have only ever seen in books up on the Ark. I decide, that at least for tonight, I will stick with only the foods that Lexa has shown me in the past. As I fill my plate with meat from a boar, roasted vegetables, fresh bread and goat cheese. 

Wineskins are passed around the table as we eat and light hearted conversation is heard from all gathered. On the other side of the table are many others enjoying the feast as well. Mora is sitting at the table behind us, the nightbloods around us. Madi keeps looking at Aden and blushing and I can't help but smile as he gives her his attention while sharing side glances at Ginny.

Just when I think I can't eat anymore Lexa hands me what looks like something between a roll and a cake. "What is this called?" I ask her.

She smiles as she answers, "It is called a honey cake. Many people make different versions of it, but my favorite is this one. Benny, the cook that runs the kitchens in the tower makes these. Try a bite by itself and then spread some goat cheese on it." 

Indra looks over at us and says, "When Lexa was younger, I heard many complaints from Benny, as Lexa and Luna would always sneak into the kitchens before breakfast and steal whole trays of these honey cakes."

I smile at hearing this piece of Lexa's childhood. I take my first bite. It is sweet, almost too sweet. I spread some goat cheese on it and take another bite, moaning at the taste. I can see Lexa squirming just a little bit beside, her face flush. I reach over and grab another, after spreading the cheese on top, I say, "I can see why. I would have done the same."

It isn't much longer before we are headed back up the tower, just a bit tipsy from the wine. Though not tipsy enough to forget the talk that we need to have. We are both tired, but in my mind, this can not wait. After we finish undressing, I turn to her and ask, "Why did you bow to me?"

She takes my hand and leads me to the bed. As we lay down, she pulls me close, kissing my cheek. She sighs and says, "I have heard much talk about us from the people. There are many rumors about us outside of Trikru. However, there are more about you alone. People love you, just as much as they do me. I wanted to let them know that we are equals, so that one day it will be fully accepted that we are together. I also can not stand the thought of you bowing to Heda. Last time it was needed, this time it is not."

"I understand why you did it, but it was a risk. A risk that could have turned out differently." I tell her.

"I like to think it was not a risk, but a decision, well informed one at that. I knew the people would not revolt. However, I did not know that they would also bow to you. It worked out much better than I expected." She tells me while yawning.

"This time maybe." I concede.

I lean in further against her back as I pull her fingers to my lips, placing a soft kiss on them, "Reshop ai hodnes." I tell her.

"Reshop ai tombon." I hear as my eyes droop and I fall asleep.

The whole week has been a whirlwind. There is nightblood training in the morning and council meetings till around two everyday and the festival as soon as we leave the meetings. There has not been much time for Lexa and I to spend together alone. On the third day, Gaia had two guards bring in a similar throne as Lexa's, just a bit smaller. Apparently it was Lissa's throne and Gaia found it buried amongst the mountains of scrolls and artifacts in Titus's rooms under the tower. Lexa had it set up next to hers and is having each clan make a replica of it, for when we visit. Lexa evidently has many thrones, in the places she visits. The one here in Polis was also Becca's passed down to each bearer of the flame.

The first time I sat in my throne next to Lexa, I could feel the previous commanders talking to each other through the flame. Lexa calls for an end to the meeting and as soon as everyone leaves the throne room, she leans over and kisses me. "Ai hod yu in, Klark kom Skaikru."

I stand up, take her hand in mine, kiss her fingers, "I love you, Leksa kom Trikru, feva en otaim." I say as I lead her out of the room and towards the streets. 

It is safe to say that pretty much all of Polis knows that there is something between Lexa and I, something more than leaders and even friendship. So far we haven't had any problems in that regard. We have had a few minor drunken brawls to take care of though.

Lexa has had me try food from practically every food vendor here. There is this one item, they call it pigs in a blanket. It is a sausage with cheese in it, baked in a roll with bacon wrapped around it. It is one of my favorite things. However, nothing has topped Benny's honey cake with goat cheese as of yet.

By the end of the night, my feet are killing me but Lexa is pulling me to one last booth. It is a blacksmiths booth. On his back wall he displays his wares of many beautiful daggers and swords. Off to the side of the booth is a pole with a target on it. He smiles as we approach and asks, "Does Heda and Wanheda want to compete against each other."

Lexa looks at me, her eyes shining with a bright smile on her face and I can't help but nod to her. She turns back to the blacksmith and says, "Sha, Henri. I think it is time Wanheda learns who wields a knife better."

I can't help myself as the laughter slips out. I have no doubt that she can beat me, but I will give her a good game. "It is true that Heda is skilled in the use of knife throwing, but so am I. Let us see which one is better." I say.

Henri hands us each matching daggers. One has a blue stone at the top of the hilt with leaves carved in the handle. While the other has a green stone and stars carved in the handle. Henri must have made them especially for the two of us. The daggers are so beautiful that I almost do not want to use them.

We walk over to the side and take thirty steps back from the target as a crowd forms behind us, Gustus and Indra watching from the side. "Three tries, each shot five feet further than the last. The one closest to the center ring the most wins." Lexa says. 

She points to me and I let loose of my first shot. It lands directly in the center. Lexa's lands next to mine, barely a hair could fit between them. Gustus retrieves the daggers, marking our first throw, before bringing them back to us. 

We each take five steps back and repeat, our daggers landing side by side almost in the same spot as the last throw. Gustus retrieves them again as we take five more steps back. This time my shot is a bit off, landing on the line of the first inner circle, while Lexa's land in the center and the crowd is electric. Gustus hands us back the daggers and as we try to hand them back to Henri, he shakes his head and says, "I made these two daggers for the two of you. You brought me my son back from the mountain. This is the least I could do. May they serve you both well."

We both nod as one before we each give him the clan handshake, to show our respect. We are stopping to grab a few more honey cakes as Ryder joins us. "Heda, Wanheda, someone from Skaikru and an outsider would like to see you in the throne room. They say that they bring news that you have been waiting for." He tells us.

We quickly make our way inside. I walk into the room, and I notice immediately that Murphy has been injured. "Ryder, head to my room and bring my med bag." I tell him while helping Murphy out of his jacket and shirt. 

"Who shot you Murphy?" I ask him as Indra brings a bowl of water to the table and I start cleaning his lower arm.

"That would be Jaha. He didn't make it, but it seems that he managed to give a few people from the clans a chip before he died. He only had one pistol. I met up with Emori on my way here. We destroyed the rest of the chips, except for two." He says as Emori hands them to Lexa and lays the gun on the table clip first.

"Ok, so it seems we will have to deal with Allie next. Emori, tell me about the presidential bunker." I ask as Ryder comes in with my med kit.

I work on getting the bullet out of Murphy's arm as Emori says, "I located the bunker a year and a half ago. My friends and I, the banished, help me clear it. It seems the whole white house did not survive and there was much rubble to clear before we reached the tunnels. The tunnels were surprisingly clear. I have since been working on finding a way in, while my friends worked on stocking it. Two weeks ago I finally did it."

"How many will it hold?" I ask her as I finish up bandaging Murphy's arm.

"The bunker will hold close to twenty thousand people, but there is another issue." Emori says.

I close my eyes for a moment and ask, "What is the issue?"

"There will not be nearly enough food for even close to that amount of people. By my estimate, there is only enough to feed about four hundred people for five years." She says.

Lexa gasps and I turn to her and say, "There is a way, not to worry. It will mean that my mother will be living in that bunker. We will go over the logistics of that when we talk to her soon. We will need to head to the mountain to deal with Allie soon anyways. How far is the bunker from Polis?"

"It is almost two weeks walking, maybe five days on horseback and three days by truck." Emori says. 

"You said something about a radio call from Arcadia?" I ask Ryder.

Ryder hands me the radio and says, "Sinclair radioed. Your mother is in the medical building with many new patients and your dad is calming your people. He said he needed to talk to you or Lexa immediately."

I nod, push the button down and speak, "Polis to Arcadia. Are you there, Sinclair?"

A few seconds later static comes over the radio, "Sinclair to Polis. Clarke, are you there?"

"Clarke here. Lexa is with me. What is your status?" I ask.

"A few hours ago, Luna from Floukru showed up here in Arcadia. She brought all of her people. One man died on the way. His name was Derrick. They are all sick with radiation poisoning. It seems that Praimfaya is starting early." He says.

"How did it start early?" I ask him.

"The only way it could start early is if someone with technical knowledge set one of the power plants to self-destruct." He says.

I try to think who could have done that and would want to at the same time. It only takes me a few minutes to figure it out. "It was Jaha. He is dead now." I tell him.

"What do we do now, Clarke?" He asks.

"This doesn't change anything but how fast we have to work now. The plan stays the same." I tell him.

"When can I tell your parents that you will be here?" He asks.

I look at Lexa and she nods, "We will be there tomorrow afternoon. We will bring help. Clarke over and out." I tell him.

"Ryder, we will need two hundred gonas to help and as many healers that can be spared from Polis." I tell him. 

I turn to Indra and say, "Call an emergency meeting of the council. Make sure Gaia and the nightbloods are there as well."

Ryder asks, "When are we leaving?"

"We leave in three hours, make haste." I tell him.

Lexa takes my hand as we sit on our thrones, just waiting on the others to join us. Tonight is going to be a long night, as will be many more nights to come in the near future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been one of the easiest chapters I have ever written. The words would not stop coming. It's no wonder that it is more than 10k words. 
> 
> Thank you, Lockie. I could never do what I do without you. Your support means everything. Ai hod yu in, feva en otaim.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys.
> 
> Kacie


	19. Chapter 19 "Bullets or rods."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luna might have a few issues with treatment. Clarke learns some thing about Aden. Clarke and Lexa fight to old enemies. Raven and her two crews work on stopping the meltdown at the power plants.

Chapter 19 "Bullets or rods."

Lexa's POV 

Clarke and I are taking a few minutes to talk before the Ambassadors and the nightbloods get here. I am glad Clarke called the meeting. The power plants and radiation poisoning is not something that I know much about. "I wish we knew where the plant Jaha hit is. Then we would know where to start and how long that we have." Clarke says.

The doors to the throne room open. "It is a good thing that you have me then. I hacked into the power plants the moment you left. He hit the power plant about an hour from Becca's lab. The radiation will have reached Floukru, the desert and parts of Azgeda." Raven tells us.

"So in terms of location, the next two power plants are here, in Podakru and here in Yujleda. We start there. Who do you have that you trust can help you?" Clarke asks Raven.

"Sinclair and your dad can go to Podakru. It is a smaller plant. They would need maybe five warriors for heavy lifting. They are the only ones that I trust alone. Wick is good but he is impatient. I would rather have him with me, so that I can keep an eye on him. We would need the same amount of warriors. There is another issue, though." Raven says.

"What is that?" Clarke asks.

"Time. I thought that we would have more time, but we don't. There are parts of the reactors that it takes time to get to. Time that we no longer have. The only other way to get to them is to have someone small and we don't have enough suits that small. I only had suits made that are warrior size." Raven says.

Raven wrings her hands, shaking her head. Clarke gets up from her throne, walks over to Raven and takes her hands in hers, before asking, "Raven, explain."

"We have to use a child for each plant. Without a suit it has to be a nightblood. Madi understands tek to a degree. She could do it. Out of the other nightbloods, there is only one that has shown that he can at least follow directions, when working with tek." Raven explains and my heart drops at the same time that I feel Clarke's do the same.

"You are saying that there is no other way." Clarke asks.

With tears running down her face, Raven says, "Not with the time we have left, no."

Clarke turns and walks back to her throne, sitting down and closing her eyes. After a few minutes, she takes a deep breath and says, "It has to be done. Now tell me, how much time do we have?"

"Six weeks, but the acid rain will more than likely start in half that time. Arcadia has special tarps that Aurora made, but there are only so many of them." Raven says.

"So first things first is, we need all the clans to evacuate to Polis. That means anyone who is not helping with the plants." Clarke says.

The doors open again and the ambassadors, Gaia and the nightbloods trailing behind them. As Gaia has the nightbloods stand against the back wall, the ambassadors take their seats. "You are all gathered here because something has happened with the power plants. We all knew the time would come. Natrona started it a bit early. That man is dead. The desert clan has been hit, radiation seeping into Floukru and parts of Azgeda. The desert clan had already left before it hit. They have found another safe place for our people. The part of Azgeda that was hit, I believe is uninhabited. Skaikru are helping Floukru with radiation sickness." I tell them.

The ambassadors start arguing and with one raised hand and one word, "Empleni", it goes silent in the room.

"Nothing has changed but the time factor." Clarke says.

Merrick, the Louwoda kliron ambassador asks, "What do we do now? How can we help?"

"We need everyone in the clans to fall back to Polis. You have two weeks. If we can not stop Praimfaya, then there are three places that are safe. One in Polis, which some of you know about, the mountain, and another that is less than a week away from Polis. It will be difficult and most will not like what has to happen, especially in the last bunker. That is a situation that will have to be explained, when the people that are going there arrive. The important thing is that all or most of every clan will live." Clarke tells them. 

"How long do we have before the rains and Praimfaya come?" Peder from Boudalan asks.

Clarke shakes her head and says, "The rains will hit Azgeda and Trikru lands first, in maybe three weeks. Everyone should have all or most of their people in Polis in two weeks or less. If we can not stop it, Praimfaya will hit in six weeks."

Lenny from Yujleda shakes his head and asks, "Will we have enough time to do this?"

The smile on Clarke's face is grim, but she still answers, "I will not lie. It will not be easy, and some might not make it. However, this time, most everyone will."

Indra turns to Clarke and asks, "What is the plan with the power plants?"

"There are five power plants that will have to be shut down properly. We have two teams that will be sent out. One will be led by my father and another by Raven. In the plants, there are places where the area is too small for an adult to fit. Like a tunnel that is blocked off. We do not have protection suits for anyone that small. Radiation does not affect nightbloods the same way as it does everyone else. They might get sick, but they will even survive Praimfaya. A nightblood will be sent with both groups. It is the only way." Clarke tells them. 

Gonin from Trishana asks, "When our people arrive in Polis, what are our orders?"

"By that time, we should know a bit more on where everyone should be placed. You will hunt and preserve meat till you are given orders on which bunker you will be in. The farthest one will require some travel. Trucks from inside the mountain will be provided so that the trip is quicker. That is the back up plan, if we can't stop Praimfaya." Clarke tells them.

Ryder joins us in the throne room, followed by Echo and Lok. Ryder nods at me and I know that my gonas are ready. I turn to Gaia and say, "Madi and Aden are joining us. You and Ginny will take care of Polis and help the clans when they arrive."

"We will join you." Lok says.

Clarke shakes her head and says, "You are healed enough to travel, if you go slow, but with the babies, Echo will need to talk to Emori. She needs to go to the President bunker. Emori can give you a map. My mother will eventually join you there, after she helps Floukru. You should wait till the clans arrive and take any pregnant women or anyone under the age of three. It is harder to cure radiation sickness in someone who's immune system is not fully developed."

I know that Lok will have a hard time not going with us. She will always be a protector. I turn to Lok and say, "You are in charge of the bunker until Abby, Jake and Roan join you there. Keep our kids safe."

Lok nods and says, "Sha, Leksa. It will be as you say."

Looking at the ambassadors, "Get your people here as fast as you can. Gaia will keep track of numbers and the amount of people sent to the other bunkers. Make sure that families can stay together. I don't want to separate families for what could possibly be years." I tell them.  
They all stand and turn to leave. As they exit the room I turn to Gaia and say, "Polis is yours."

Aden looks up and asks, "When do we leave?"

"You have twenty minutes to meet us at the gates." I tell them as Clarke and I leave the room.

Clarke's POV 

I am so frustrated. We had plenty of time and now we have no time left. I also hate that we have to use Madi and Aden like this. I wanted all of them to not really have to deal with all of this. They should be having more normal childhoods. 

We come to the gates and Aden comes running with his pack, Madi right beside him, "Sorry I am here. I had to find it."

He helps Madi onto her horse, tying his bag and hers to the saddle. Lexa turns to him and asks, "What did you have to find?"

Aden's eyes go wide as he finds a place on the ground to train them on. "I um, my mother gave me something from the first Praimfaya. I didn't want to leave it and I wanted to show it to Clarke later." He says quietly.

Lexa squeezes his hand and says, "I can see why you didn't want anyone to know. Titus didn't like reminders of the past. I got to keep mine, because he didn't know it had been my fathers and it was a weapon. My mom gave me his dagger when Anya took me to Polis. From now on, we will not have to destroy things from our past. It serves no other purpose than to harden our hearts."

"So I can keep the necklace my mother gave me?" Aden asks.

Lexa smiles and says, "You can keep it, though at some point, if you choose, I would also like to see it. There have been so many beautiful things that have been lost over the years."

Aden smiles as he nods, and we start our journey, going slower than we would in the daylight. At some point during the night, I take Madi's reins and put them over my saddle and Lexa does the same with Adens. They have both fallen asleep. Arcadia is our first stop. I can take Madi's cast off and then help with the radiation sickness.

We are almost there, when it happens. Madi was still dozing, when her horse was spooked by a snake. Lexa and I were not fast enough to help. Aden scooped Madi up in his arms as her horse reared up and slammed into his. He twisted his body as he slammed into a tree. I can hear his armor shred from ten feet away. Lexa is there first, pulling Madi into her arms, still a bit disoriented from sleep.

Ryder takes Madi's reins as I calm down Aden's horse. Lexa decides to ride ahead, Arcadia only being about two hundred yards from the trees. I can't tell much about his injuries until we can get his armour off of him. I take my sash off and wrap it around his arm, hoping it will stop any blood loss. "Ok, Aden, we have to get you inside. It is only a few minutes and then we can take care of that arm." I tell him.

He grits his teeth and we make our way into the gates, Ryder helping Aden down from his horse. Aden is a bit unsteady on his feet but makes it to medical on his own. There are no beds available, so have him sit in a chair. I unwrap my sash from his arm, pull out one of my daggers, and swiftly cut off the rest of his armour. 

As I take a deep breath, I look down at his arm. Thankfully it is not deep, but he will require a few stitches near his shoulder, where the deepest part of the cut. The rest is more of a scrape. Jackson comes over and hands me an empty syringe and another with a numbing agent in it. 

"Aden, this first needle has something to help with the pain while I stitch up your arm. The second one is to take a blood sample. It helps to keep our records straight. If you were ever to need blood, then we would know who can donate what you need. The wrong kind can kill someone." I tell him.

Aden glances at Lexa before turning back to me and nodding. I take his sample and put it in the diffuser after giving him the numbing agent. I clean his wound, causing it to start bleeding again, but it takes no time at all to stitch it up. It is when I am bandaging it that the diffuser starts beeping. That's weird, it only does that when the blood shares dna with someone else on the Ark. 

I turn to Ryder, "Take Aden to the chancellor's room, Madi knows the way. He can bunk with Madi while we are here." I tell him.

"Thank you, Clarke. Maybe tonight I can show you my mom's necklace." He says. 

"I would love to see it, Aden." I tell him while ruffling his hair.

He smiles as he walks away with Madi and Ryder. Lexa comes up behind me as I am looking at the diffuser, one name scrolling on it. Lexa looks at it and asks, "It says Griffin on it. What does that mean?"

"The diffuser matches blood type as well as DNA. DNA is also different in everyone, the same as blood. However, sometimes parts of the DNA is shared between family members. With my last name showing up, it means that Aden matches DNA with my dad's side of the family. I will have to talk to my dad about it, maybe at dinner tonight. There is a Griffin story that might tell us more, and maybe Aden's necklace will tell the rest of it." I tell her.

Lexa leans in and gives me a soft kiss before saying, "So you are saying that somehow Aden was a Griffin before Praimfaya."

"That is exactly what I am saying." I tell her. 

We don't get to talk about it because my mom and an angry Luna walk into the room. I turn to my mom and ask, "Mom, how are the treatments going?"

She leans over and gives me a hug before she speaks, "I have been trying to convince Luna to let our people give hers transfusions. Our medicine will work, but it will take close to two months and we just don't have that amount of time. The transfusions would take no more than a few days."

I can understand how Luna feels. It is so similar to what the mountain men did to the clans for years. Sighing deeply, I turn to Luna and say, "Luna, I can understand your concerns. The tek the mountain men used on all of our people should never be forgotten, but the tek itself is not to blame. The people that used that tek are to blame. My mother is right. The transfusions will save your people."

"Why does it even matter if we are going to be taken to the mountain after we are healed?" Luna asks.

Lexa squeezes Luna's arm and says, "There is another place, much farther than the mountain that we can take Floukru. I promise you, your people will not have to set foot inside of the mountain ever again."

"I have one other condition." Luna says.

Abby looks at Luna and asks, "Name it and I can see what we can do."

"You have a daughter that works here, not Clarke. I want her to be the one to do this blood thing with one of the other children. I want to watch and make sure that it is safe." Luna says.

I turn to Luna and say, "Charlotte would be happy to help. The blood transfusion is like an exchange of blood, however as the contaminated blood leaves the body, it is filtered before going into the other person. The other person's blood, which is clean blood, replaces the first person's blood. Within a few days, the person who was sick, will be able to travel, fully recovered." 

"Good, then Skaikru can work on healing your people, Luna. I have brought fifteen fisas to help in this matter. Hopefully, they can be moved to Polis within a few days." Lexa says.

"It sounds like you want my help with something." Luna says to Lexa.

"I do need your help to help Gaia, the new flamekeeper, protect the nightbloods. Also, with everyone from the clans heading to Polis, they might need help to keep control. There will be many scared people." Lexa tells her.

"So Titus is gone? Is it true what they say about his crimes?" Luna asks Lexa.

Lexa squeezes Luna's hand and says, "It is all true. I am sorry about Sol. It won't bring back our brothers and sisters, but it will help future generations."

Luna pulls Lexa in for a hug and when she pulls back there are tears in each of their eyes. "Thank you, Lexa. I always knew that the flame would choose you. The flame chose wisely."

Before I know it, we are in my family quarters, eating dinner. Aden brings out his mother's necklace and hands it to me. Turning it over in my hand, I look at the back of it, tears in my eyes, before handing it to my dad. The back of the necklace has an inscription on it, 'Love is strength. May we meet again. P.A. Griffin'. I hand my dad's watch to Aden and his eyes go wide. "How come there is the same writing on this watch as my mom's necklace." He asks me.

"That is because they were written by the same person a little more than ninety-seven years ago." I tell Aden as my mother brings out our family photo tablet.

Dad's eyes start twinkling as he loves to tell the story. "It was my great-grandfather's grandfather, Patrick Aden Griffin who wrote that. He gave a necklace to his granddaughter, Mora. Mora was moving to Washington, a few states over. He then gave a watch, with the same saying to Mora's twin brother, Jacob. Jacob was sent on a mission to space to explore a new planet. He was head engineer for the mission. Sadly, just as he left earth's atmosphere, the bombs hit. No one thought that anyone would survive, but Jacob believed that somehow some did. He passed down his watch, from his son, where it eventually came to me. I gave it to Clarke before she came down to the ground. Jacob's wish was that when the Arc finally came down, to either find survivors, including his family on the ground or to find his sister's necklace. And so it seems that it has happened." Dad says.

"The necklace could just be something that my mother or her mother found and thought it should be passed down." Aden says.

I smile at him, Aden has quite the mind. Shaking my head, "Though that could have been true, if not for one thing. I added your blood to the Ark's computer today. It matched up with Griffin blood. You are a Griffin. You were always family to us, because you are Lexa's family. This doesn't change that. Blood doesn't make family, love does." I tell him.

"Love is strength, is the opposite of what we were always taught. Even though I know that it was false teachings, it is always something that I questioned, at least to myself. I have watched and listened closely. Especially lately and I am glad that more people are realising the strength in love, throughout the clans." Aden says.

Family dinner was nice, but if the whole family was actually here, or the clan leaders, then there would not be nearly enough room. I will see to it that there is a room big enough at some point, in the future. 

Three days later, we have finished healing all of Floukru. We are sending twenty warriors along with the healers, to escort them to Polis. Our two teams set out last night to work on the power plants. I am just hoping that all goes well. I am not sure that I can handle any more surprises.

Monty, Jasper along with Maya's dad, Vincent, are discussing our problem with Allie. Who knew that Vincent and Maya were coders. We lost many good people from the mountain last time, that could have helped us. "Tell us why we can't take her out like we did last time?" I ask Monty.

"Raven and I studied her code. She has hacked into the systems of the mountain and the flame. We think Jaha helped her with this. We were able to detract her from the mountain systems as well as the flame. We were not able to get rid of her program, but we managed to move her to the airlock, but there is another issue." Monty tells us.

Lexa squeezes my hand and asks, "Explain?"

Monty won't even look at us for a moment; finding something very interesting on the wall behind us. After a moment he takes the deepest breath and looks me directly into my eyes, "Allie was able to pull Sheidheda from the flame. She also accessed every file pertaining to different forms of fighting. She has had everything since the beginning of time. All of it is part of her code now." He tells us.

I look at Lexa for a moment and ask, "How does this really affect us?"

Vincent shakes his head before answering, "You said last time, you had to find a room and pull a lever. There are no rooms this time. The only lever is inside of Allie. Allie is standing side by side with Sheidheda. They are both dressed as warriors, standing in a fighting pit. The tower of Polis is behind them."

I close my eyes a moment, fully understanding what has to be done here. "She is using clan culture. We will have to fight her and Sheidheda, as well." I say quietly.

"A fight to the death and they know everything about our fighting techniques." Lexa says with a slight, but grim smile. 

Maya bites her lip before saying, "We can't afford to lose either of you. She might have many things in her favour, but you both have a few things that she doesn't have."

"What are you thinking, Maya?" I ask her.

Maya's smile grows bigger before she speaks, "Allie doesn't have two flames that work together. Tap into that and she won't know what hit her. Also, Allie doesn't have help from the outside. I think we can manage to throw a few surprises her way." 

Lexa shakes her head and I know what she is going to say before it comes out of her mouth, "A fight to the death is sacred. No one is allowed to interfere."

Jasper starts laughing and when he finally catches his breath, he shakes his head and says, "Really, interference is sacred when fighting to the death. Besides, Allie already broke the rules, by changing her skill level. That is the real interference."

I find myself agreeing with Jasper. "Ok, send us what you have, but keep it out of our thoughts, until the last possible moment. Keep them both on their toes. Sometimes the good guys have to think like the bad guy, in order to win." I tell them as my smile grows wider.

Monty looks at me and asks, "When do we start?"

"You start now, but do not tell us what you have planned. Lexa and I will be back here when the sunsets. Oh and Monty, don't upload any of your surprises until the fight begins. I don't want her to find access to them." I tell him as we walk out of the room.

I grab Lexa's hand, intertwining our fingers, I take her to my old quarters. "There is something that I wanted to show you." I tell her.

Reaching into my dresser drawer, I pull out a bundle. In-between three journals are a bunch of loose papers. I hand her the bundle after kissing her fingers and we sit on the book. "While we trained and planned, for years, I didn't have much spare time, but this is what I did in the time that I had. Usually it was when I couldn't sleep, or had a nightmare." I tell her.

She starts on the journals at first, slowly looking through them, the awe on her face foors me. Before she opens the first journal she says, "I have always loved your art, from the maps you drew all the way from the sketch you did of me. I do have one question though. How does this prepare for our fight?"

"Allie and Sheidheda have so many styles of fighting that they have accessed. They have also accessed our techniques, but they don't have everyones. Everyone has a different style, based on who taught them and their life experiences. Octavia and I taught the 100. The 100 fight differently than any of the clans. There are drawings that depict that. It could be the unexpected advantage that we need." I tell her. 

Lexa leans over, pressing her lips to my face, after a moment, when I am gasping for air, I pull back and ask, "What was that for?"

"Your mind is brilliant, ai hodnes. You are brilliant. I have seen your 100 fighting, and even you. You are right, you all fight differently than anyone in the clans. If we fight like that together, then we will be able to surprise them." Lexa says while opening one of the first journals.

"Ogeda, feva en otaim." I say as I lean over, studying my drawings together.

We pause a few times, both of us asking questions, but before we know it, it is time to join Monty and the others. I give her one last kiss as we head to the airlock. More than likely, they will fight like in a conclave. We have decided to do the same. We will not walk out of the city of light without defeating both of them. 

Monty has brought two dropship chairs into the airlock and placed them side by side. We take a seat in them and buckle up, while our four coders sit on the bench against the wall tablets in hand. I turn to them and say, "We all know what is at stake here. If for some reason we are not successful, destroy the airlock and the tablets. Don't leave a place for them to hide and finish the mission to save our people."

"You have got this, Clarke. Cats have nine lives and you haven't come close to using all yours. You are the queen of cats. Show them your lion teeth." Jasper says and I can't help but laugh.

I turn to Lexa and we both look into each other's eyes, before placing Allie's chip under our tongues. We step out of the tower, snow on the ground, breaths coming out in small white puffs. We hear the crowd before we take a single step towards the arena. We walk hand and hand as down the streets of Polis. We turn the corner and there is the crowd. They part in the middle as we walk by. 

We make it to the center of the arena and there they are, sitting up on the platform, on our thrones. I decided that we should just get it over with. "Let's skip over any fatalities here. We all know each other and what is going to happen today. I Wanheda, we can skip all other titles that I hold, challenge you Allie and you Sheidheda to a fight to the death." I tell them.

Lexa squeezes my hand and says, "I Lexa kom Trikru, Heda of the thirteen clans of the coalition, will be Wanheda's second."

Sheidheda and Allie look almost bored. The way they underestimate us will be their downfall. After a moment, Allie actually yawns before she says, "Very well then, even if I hoped to one day work with the great Wanheda."

"Funny, I never wanted to work with you. Maybe it has something to do with your black heart. Of course that goes for both of you." I scoff at them.

They both walk down the steps into the arena, Sheidheda shaking his head, "It will be your bleeding hearts that will lead to your death." He says with a feral grin.

As one, Lexa and I pull out both of our swords, Sheidheda and Allie each pulling out a single, double handed sword. With our backs flush together, Lexa and I circle around them, just waiting to see who attacks first. Sheidheda breaks first lunging towards me, Allie not far behind him, attacking Lexa. We both manage to block their attacks, Lexa also sweeping her leg out and managing to make Allie stumble to the left a bit. She is quick to recover. 

This however, separates us as Lexa follows Allie and I have to block a swift fury of attacks from Sheidheda. This is a fight where my words are of no use in distracting my opponent. Right now all I can handle is keeping up with his strikes and blocking them. Lexa however, has Allie on her back. That is all it takes is one fraction of a second, taking my eyes off Sheidheda and he is slicing into my left arm. 

I cry out as the poison enters my bloodstream. I land on my back, when Sheidheda swerves around me kicking my knees out from under me. I feel the pain in my eyes, when Allie flings dirt in Lexa's eyes. It isn't just sand, I can feel it moving around in my eyes like crawling ants. It can only be one thing, Allie threw nanobots in Lexa's eyes.

The nanobots are effectively working on permanently bliding us. Lexa lands beside me. I can barely see the swords at our necks, as Lexa grabs my hand. "Any last words, ladies?" Allie asks.

"Not for you, bitch." I tell her.

"I told you, it would be your bleeding hearts that will be your end. Love is weakness." Sheidheda says, spitting on the ground beside me.

I close my eyes, anger building up inside of me. A fire is growing, stronger inside me by the second. I hear a voice that I think is Maya, "Use the fire within you." the voice says.

Lexa squeezes my hands and my eyes fly open, fire shooting from them, sending all of the anger I have towards Sheidheda. Lexa is doing the same with Allie. As their swords drop to the ground, I yell out, "Love is strength, you son of a bitch."

After a moment the sand falls out of Lexa's eyes and I can see again. We take a moment to just breathe, before she helps me stand. She gently kisses my cheek, before we look on the ground. There is a lever next to Allie's bones. I grab the lever, Lexa placing her hand on top of mine, but as we are just about to pull it, a voice cries out, "Wait."

Lexa looks up and asks, "Becca?"

Becca smiles and says, "This is a day that I have been waiting for. I knew the day you ascended, Lexa, that you would finish my mission. You and your soulmate. The road has been hard, but it is not over yet. There is still so much to do."

I shake my head and say, "If you mean the power plants, we have that covered." 

"Your friend won't be able to stop Praimfaya, but she will be able to minimize it's damage. I am not talking about that though. I am talking about the last war." She tells us.

I shake my head, and ask, "Are you saying that Gabriel will betray us?"

She shakes her head, "Gabriel will not betray you intentionally. He will be captured and taken to Bardo. They will use the m-cap to extract his memories. He doesn't have the code to start the test, but he has the code to bring them here. There they can extract it from either of you." She tells us.

I have to ask, "I never knew exactly what the test was before I destroyed Bardo. What was it?"

"The test was made by what some call higher beings. It is meant for them to see if a species can be integrated into theirs. Which would be fine if not for one thing. It takes away free will, in many ways like what the city of light would have done. In the end, humans as we know it would cease to be. If we passed the test and some chose not to join the collective, they could live out the rest of their days on earth. However, they would never be able to have children. When they died, the human race would die with them. We have fought too long and finally with you two peace is just around the corner. It will be an everlasting peace." Becca tells us.

I look at Lexa and can tell that this isn't what she would want. I turn back to Becca and ask, "So how are we going to stop it."

"I can not help you much. I can only leave you with the tools that you need. I have to upload my files into the flame. It will give you both the tools that you need to succeed. You will not be able to access the files until you need them. After I do, and you pull that lever, I will cease to exist." Becca says.

"How will we know when that time comes?" Lexa asks her.

"You will know the moment Cadogon's army comes through the anomaly stone. The first thing you have to do is kill him. Take out his army only if you have to. Then the files that I leave you will explain how you can destroy the anomaly stones. You will have to travel to the other five worlds, typing in a self-destruct code on each stone. It will cause some damage in the surrounding area, but it is not nuclear. The people sent to do this will not be able to come back through. All five will be stuck on whatever planet that stone is stuck on. That part of the mission is not yours. You are both needed to lead our people. Without the two of you, the world will fall into chaos and no one will survive." She tells us.

Lexa squeezes my hand, as I speak, "We understand." 

It took me a long time, but I know now, that sometimes you have to sacrifice good people in order to save the many. "Little Bird need not be sacrificed, she is worthy of the blood." Becca says as she smiles sadly before placing a hand on each of our necks, just over the flame. "It is done. You may pull the lever." She tells us.

Lexa and I hug Becca and place our hands back on the lever. "We've got this. Death is not the end. Go be with Lissa." Lexa tells Becca.

As we pull the lever, Becca smiles and as she fades away, we hear her say, "One person should never decide the fate for everyone's eternity."

We both wake up in the dropship seats, turn to one another before we both lean in for a short but sweet kiss. Monty interrupts us, "What happened after the fight. You both disappeared and it took almost two hours before you pulled the lever."

Something is wrong, I can see it in Monty's eyes. He also is looking at the ground and not at me. "We had a visitor. We can discuss it later. Tell me what happened. What is bothering you, Monty." I ask him.

Monty's POV

Just before the fight begins, Vincent, Jasper and I are locked out of the system. A file pops up on my tablet. It says, Jordan, Monty and Harper's son. Harper and I haven't told anyone yet, that she is pregnant. It is also too soon to tell what we are having. I click on it and it brings me to a video file.

It's not like I can help Clarke right now, since all I can do is watch the fight. The file might be gone as soon as soon as Clarke and Lexa win. I have never known Clarke to lose. I open the file and start watching. They say curiosity killed the cat and I can believe it.

There is no volume on the video. I see a long legged boy with my eyes and Harper's smile. He is a teenager, but I know he is mine and Harper's. He is guarding a room when Bellamy bursts in with Echo and another girl I have never seen. The others in the room stop them. It's like they want them to watch.

A brown haired man with a trimmed beard comes in and ties a girl who looks like Madi but maybe seven years older. He ties her to a pole in the center of the room. He is looking at Jordan with a feral grin as he holds a dagger out to him. Two men strip off Madi's armour as Jordan walks up to her, dagger in hand. Jordan makes a five inch deep cut across her side, anger in his face. 

This is death by a thousand cuts and my son is taking joy in it. In the end, when Madi has no more fight left in her, the first man steps up with a sword and cuts her head off. Bellamy is dead and they have knocked out or killed everyone else that came to save Madi.

It is then that Clarke bursts into the room and I can see her face change as she takes in the room. Her sword is out killing everything in her path. There are two left when Jordan steps in front of the last person guarding the man that started it all. It seems like Jordan has no weapons, but I see the dagger that he still has in his hand. 

Clarke doesn't stop, slashing through Jordan and the man behind him. The video ends before she reaches him. I am not sure how I feel at this time. Right now we have a mission, I have to talk to Clarke when it is finished. It looks like it is not going well, as both Clarke and Lexa have swords at their throats. "I don't know how to help them." Maya cries out.

"Maya, do something with their eyes. Raven said they were both glowing during Clarke's fight with Bellamy." I tell her.

Maya is fast, typing in a series of codes and the next thing I know, Clarke and Lexa are shooting fire out of their eyes. Sheidheda and Allie both drop to the ground, skin melted completely off their bones and a lever protruding out of the ground beside Allie. They have done it.

I see Clarke and Lexa have their hands on the lever, about to pull it and are they disappear. The four of us try frantically to find them, try as we may, there seems to be nothing to find. The only thing we can do is wait, so that is what we do. For two hours, we stare at our screens and finally they appear in front of the lever. Together as one they pull it.

Our screens grow dark and it is just a few minutes before they open their eyes. I know I am a bit snappy when I ask, "What happened after the fight? It's been over two hours."

Clarke is staring at me intensely, "We had a visitor. What's wrong Monty? Did something happen?" She asks me.

I shake my head, first things first, "We can discuss it after you tell us about the visitor." I tell her. 

"Becca Praimheda came to see us. It seems like we will have to fight another war, but that won't happen till about a year after the prison ship comes down. We will have time to plan that. Now tell me what is wrong Monty." Clarke says.

"I saw a video while you were fighting. I saw Madi die and a boy who looks like me and Harper get killed. You killed him. Did that happen in the previous timeline? Did you kill mine and Harper's son?" I ask her, a single tear running down my cheek.

Lexa squeezes Clarke's hand, and Clarke closes her eyes for a moment. When she looks back up at me there are tears in her eyes, "I killed Jordan. It was not my intention. I was wanting to kill the man he was protecting. I see it in my dreams, trying to figure out if I could do something different." She says quietly.

"You had no choice, he had a knife in his hand. It was inches from your neck. I get that you had to do it. What I don't get is why you didn't tell us. Two years on the Ark, planning to come down and not a single word. Did you not trust us?" I ask her, tears now free falling, landing on the floor.

"I wanted to tell you, I really did, but then I would see how happy you both were. I didn't want to ruin that, especially when we knew it was never going to happen this time. Why make you have to live with that? So I chose to live with my guilt, in order to spare you both." She tells me.

"I don't always get your decisions, not at first, but I always follow them. It will take time to process all of this, but I understand. From now on though, you should tell us what has happened. After all we have been through together, we at least deserve that." I tell her as I leave the room.

I don't want to, but I have to tell Harper. I walk out of the Ark and take a deep breath as she is talking to some warriors, probably about training. She smiles when she sees me and I smile back. "Can we go for a walk?" I ask her.

Anya's POV

I love watching Raven work. It has been almost four weeks since she started on the power plants. We are now working on the last one. It is located in the southern edge of Ingranronakru. Raven says that if we keep traveling we would find a place that used to be called Texas. Right now though, I am tired of traveling from place to place with no rest.

One person I do not like is Wick. I guess he is good at his job, when he isn't trying to be funny or trying to get Raven to join him in his furs. He doesn't seem to understand that Raven is with me and I will give him a fight if he continues. I have never met someone that I would fight and die for, not before I met Raven.

I didn't know it was possible to love someone as much as I love her. I have always been a warrior. Protecting Lexa has always been my life. Sure I have been with others, but none of them lasted longer than a month. I liked it that way, but with Raven, I knew from the day I met her that if she shared any type of feelings towards me, that it was going to last into the next life and beyond.

Raven told us this plant could take a bit longer. I really just want to get her somewhere safe. I almost have to physically pull her away from her work, in order for her to eat and rest. It's like she doesn't ever stop. Clarke told me to watch out for that, of course it wasn't something that needed to be said. Any person with eyes could see how Raven works herself till she is practically passing out.

It is true that she has a lot of work to do, work that no one else is really capable of. This, however, isn't why she does it; she does it to try and escape the pain of the past. What she doesn't realise is that there is no escaping it. You have to face it head on, in order to heal.

A few days later Raven announces that she is almost finished. She just has to have Aden crawl under a bunch of machines and copy some numbers on a screen. After that, it is just a matter of a few hours and then we can leave. It will take a few of Clarke testing the air to find out if it worked, but I trust Raven.

There is a loud crash, and Wick is hollering out, "Fuck, Fuck, Fuck."

I go to stand up to see what is going on and I am blown back by a wall of fire. Luckily it misses me. I look down the hall and see four warriors on fire, but there are no screams. They must be gone already. The screams are coming from Raven. I rush to her side as she starts gasping, "Is Aden ok?" She asks.

Aden gently crawls out from under Raven. "I am ok, Raven. Just a little bump on my head." He says.

"Wick, you asshole, bring me a tablet, now." Raven yells.

Ryder runs back to Raven and hands her the tablet he ripped out of Wick's hands. When Raven reaches for the tablet, she hisses in pain. As she is looking over the tablet, I check her injuries. She has a few small pieces of metal sticking out her back, but that is not the problem. "Raven, you shouldn't move too much. There is a metal Rod sticking out of your back." I tell her.

"Leave it, taking it out will make me lose too much blood and I won't be able to do what needs to be done." Raven says.

Wick finally joins us, carrying some bandages with him. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to." He says.

Before I can reach him, Ryder grabs him by the shirt and growls, "What did you do boy?"

His lip is quivering as he replies, "I dozed off and might have hit the wrong button."

"The wrong button. I can't believe you. The self destruct button is definately the wrong fucking button, you ignoramus idiot." Raven yells at him. 

She turns her head to Ryder and says, "Get everyone out of here. Get them as far as you can. The death wave will hit in about twenty-four hours. I am not going to make it. I will try to minimise the damage."

"I won't leave without you Raven." I tell her.

While Raven was talking, Ryder had let go of Wick. At the end of the hallway, I hear the doors to the control room close, and over the speakers his voice rings out, "My mistake, not Raven's. I will be the one staying to lessen the damage. You should all leave, now. The place won't be here in ten more minutes."

Together Ryder and I pick up Raven, being very careful of the rod in her back and carry her out of the room. "Fucking idiot." Raven mutters in-between gasps of pain.

By the time we are exiting the building, thankfully, Raven is out. I am also glad that Raven taught Ryder to drive. We make it about five minutes away, when the plant explodes and it is only a few seconds later that the car stops. 

I take Raven's radio that is clipped to the inside of the door. I have only used it a couple of times, but Clarke and Lexa need to know what has happened. "Clarke, are you there. Anya here." I say.

There is a few minutes of silence before Clarke's voice comes through, "Was Raven able to fix it early?" Clarke asks.

"Not exactly." I say.

"What happened?" She asks.

"Wick had an accident. He caused an explosion. Four warriors died and Raven was hurt. The rover stopped working and Raven told us that Priamfaya will hit in less than twenty-four hours. We are barely a mile from the plant. You will have to come get Aden. We won't make it." I tell her.

"Like hell. We will be there in twelve hours or less. Stay with the rover, I have a plan." Clarke says as the radio goes silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting to this chapter was hard. The week just started out with a trip to the ER to get stitches on my foot. My mind was so not on writing. 
> 
> It took a few days to get back in track. Thank you my love for all the support. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy. There might be a few surprises thrown in there for you.
> 
> Kacie

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this has been a long journey to even get this far. Two years spent researching and outlining. My main goal is to give the story most of us wanted and was denied. Clarke and Lexa both deserved so much more, but so did many other characters of the show. This is my way of fixing it. 
> 
> I want to thank sleepingfordays for reading chapter one and giving me feedback. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Thank you,  
>  Kacie


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